Wicaster rock is a boiled sugar confectionery from the frontier settlement of Wicaster in Sunscald's far south. Flavoured with the incredibly bitter and acrid
pitonweed, the olive-green rock has a very strong, distinctive, and bittersweet flavour and is considered an acquired taste. Though rare outside of its eponymous city, it has gained a cult following in some non-Wicastrian circles and has become a minor export for the city.
History
The pitonweed has been a staple foodsource in Wicaster since the town's foundation, owing to its abundance and nutritional value, as well as the fact that it is one of the few foods that grows locally in the area. Despite its utility, the plant is not well-liked, owing to its infamously acrid taste and stringy texture. Consequently, much of Wicastrian cuisine revolves around disguising or otherwise diminishing the presence of pitonweed.
Wicaster rock is believed to have originated from an attempt to get children to eat more pitonweed. It was based on the already popular 'stick-of-rock' confectionery made locally from imported sugar in much of southern Sunscald, but with the inclusion of muddled or crushed pitonweed. The resulting concoction failed to disguise of the pitonweed, eventuating in an extremely distinctive-tasting candy that was largely rejected by children who tasted it. However, the odd taste proved strangely morish for some Wicaster residents, who continued producing the confectionery for their own consumption.
Traders and explorers visiting Wicaster brought news of the rock to other cities along the Sunscald coast, where stories of its unique and offputting flavour intrigued many. Though most foreigners who sampled Wicassel rock were disgusted and dismissed it as a novelty, small groups of non-Wicastrians were enthralled by the taste. The rock is a successful, if quite minor, export of Wicaster, as its fans are often willing to pay premium prices for more of the confectionery.
Reputation
Wicaster rock is known predominantly for its bizarre and distinctive taste as well as its offputting murky-green colour. Residents of Wicaster generally agree that the saccharine sweetness of the sugar mixed with the acrid bitterness of the pitonweed is a strange combination - for non-Wicastrians not accustomed to the taste of pitonweed, the taste is pungent and near-indescribable. Consequently, the rock is a subject of fascination for many who have not tried it, and a subject of revulsion for many - though not all - who have. The Keldish trader Allyn Fferys, personally a fan of the rock, described it as "tasting of floor varnish poured on a sugarloaf". The esteemed explorer and treasure hunter Andrus Callan was unabashed in his hatred for the confection, claiming "I have tasted death, I have tasted defeat, and I have tasted Whitcastle rock, and now I fear only the rock."
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