Candy

Guide Note

Any confection based upon concentrated sugar can be called candy. The most popular, in North America at least, are chocolate-based candy bars and bite-sized treats of different textures, such as Skittles or jelly beans.

The process of creating most candy starts with dissolving sugar in a liquid to form some variety of syrup. This syrup is then caramelizaed through a boiling process. The temperature at which the syrup boils determines its texture and consistency.

Fast Facts

1. America's bestselling candy bar: Snickers
2. 1657: World's First Chocolate Store
3. 1784: Invention of the Lollipop
4. Sugar reacts with bacteria in the mouth, creating acid and damaging the enamel of teeth
5. Some candy, such as gummi bears and marshmallows, contain gelatin

Though most major candy brands developed in the past 100 years, consumption of dissolved sugar goes back centuries. Studies suggest that Egyptians created concoctions based on honey derived from beehives over 3,000 years ago. Candy companies began to develop in the late 18th century and hundreds of factories were producing candy by the mid-1800s, according to the National Confectioners Association.

Chocolate originates with beans from the cacao tree, which originated most like in South or Central America. Nearly all cacao trees are grown close to the equator. Cocoa beans are roasted, cooled, and their shells removed. The remainder of the beans are crushed, the cocoa butter is liquified, which creates the base liquid recognizable as chocolate. Significant amounts of sugar are added in almost any forms to make the product into candy.