Did you know that Candy has been around for 3,523 years? Over those years, candy has gone from cough drops to gummy bears of all different fruity flavors. Let’s look into more interesting facts about candy!
How Candy Evolved
Candy can range from Pop Rocks to Almond Joy, but it hasn’t always been that way. The first records of candy were around 1500 BC, but it wasn’t like the treats we have today. In fact, it took over 3,000 years to get to where we are today with candy.
The Ancient Egyptians created the first candies from anything they could find. Fruit, nuts, honey, etc. Other groups, such as the Chinese and Arabs were also making these sweets, known as the first candies. These would become candied treats, meaning they were coated by a sugar syrup to make a yummy snack. Ginger and licorice are also among the oldest candy in the world. Some of the other, earlier candies were barley sugar, which is made from barley grains. In addition, some early candies were made from cocoa beans, which are used to make chocolate, and were used by the Mayans and Aztecs.
After this, candy started to become more popular. At first, candy was most popular in the upper class in the Middle Ages. It was considered a luxury! Later, it became available to more people in addition to other places, such as England and America around the 17th century. In the 1700s, the first chocolate factory opened. In the 1800s, hard candies like lemon drops, lollipops, and peppermint were invented as well as caramel. That got the candy making moving rapidly.
Even though we still use some of the same candy from back then, like licorice, we don’t use them for quite the same reasons. Today, we use candy as just a nice treat or for a fun holiday, like Halloween. But long ago, the Egyptians used candy for cult purposes, while the Aztecs and Mayans used chocolate for medicine. The Aztecs used chocolate for stomach aches and even mixed it with tree bark to heal infections.
Different Candies Around The World
There are tons of varieties of candy in America. If you are in the mood for a sugary treat, some options you may consider are Milky Way Bars, M&M’s, Airheads, or maybe Tootsie Rolls. All of these are certainly tasty American candies, but there are also thousands of candies from all around the world! From Italy to Thailand, you’d be surprised how many unique and different kinds of candy there are around the world.
First, let’s visit China. One of the most popular chinese candies is the Dragon’s Beard Candy. Dragon’s Beard Candy is similar to cotton candy. It is a hand made sweet with 16,384 sugar strands that are stretched to look like a dragon’s beard. This Chinese candy does take a long time to make, but it only uses four ingredients. You can make this unique candy with easy to find items! Now like most candies, this treat has a fun story. Do you know how this candy got its name? Well, it is said that when the Emperor of China first tried this candy, pieces of the sugary treat got stuck to his face, making him look like he had a dragon’s beard. How funny is that!
Next up, let’s take a look at Mozartkugel, a mouthwatering Austrian candy. Mozartkugel is a small, round candy from Austria that has pistachio, nougat, and marzipan covered in dark chocolate. This candy also has an interesting backstory. The name of this candy includes the name ‘Mozart’, a musical composer. About 100 years after Mozart’s death, a talented treat-maker, Paul Fürst, wanted to honor the amazing musician. So, in 1890, he created a candy named after Mozart.
Coming up, we’re arriving in South Spain to check out Turrón. For about a thousand years, pastry chefs have been making this candy. This tasty confection is typically made of honey, nuts, and egg whites. This candy is usually eaten around Christmas time. There is even a legend on how Turrón came to be. In Jijona, a town in Spain, the King married a Scandinavian princess, so she had to move to his country. However, she was sad to leave her home. She missed the snowy landscapes and the King wanted to make her happy. So, he planted thousands of almond trees around his land and the trees made it look like there was snow on the ground because of their white color. This made the princess happy and the people that lived in Jijona began to gather almonds from the trees, and this made the first Turrón treat.
Want to try these delicious candies? They’re actually pretty easy to make! Try one of the recipes for Dragon’s Beard, Mozartkugel, or Turrón to make your own tasty treat!
Candy has been around for a long time and has progressed greatly, from cocoa beans used for medicine to the Skittles we got on Halloween. We get all different flavors and unique kinds of candy from all different parts of the world. Are you willing to try a new candy? Try this recipe for new awesome sweets!
Bonus Facts
- The world’s largest candy bar was a Reece´s bar that weighed 5,943 pounds.
- The longest candy cane in the world was over 60 feet long.
- The first chocolate bar was invented in 1847 by Joseph Fry.
- The world’s most expensive candy is a chocolate truffle that costs over $2,000 per pound.
- Candy corn was originally called Chicken Feed.
- The world’s first gummy candy was made in Germany and it was called, “Gummibärchen” which means little gum bear.
- In Japan, there is a candy called Puchao and you can blow bubbles with it.
- The first gumball machine was made in 1907.
- Cotton Candy was invented by a dentist named William Morrison and it was originally called Fairy Called Fairy Floss.
- Fun Dip was originally called Lik-M-Aid.
- Americans spend about $3.1 billion on candy for Halloween.
- More than 58 million pounds of chocolate are used during Valentines Day.
- November 4th is National Candy Day.
- The world’s oldest candy company known as Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie, founded in 1806, is still operating today.
- Starbursts were originally called Opal Fruits.
- Dippin´ Dots were created by accident.
- Hershey and Dunkin´ Donuts once teamed up to produce candy flavored coffee.
- The word candy gets its name from the Arabic word, quadi, meaning made of sugar.
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