Candy apple pickles
On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article candy apple pickles. This article is about the type of confection generally. Physically, candy is characterized by the use of a significant amount of sugar or sugar substitutes.
Unlike a cake or loaf of bread that would be shared among many people, candies are usually made in smaller pieces. However, the definition of candy also depends upon how people treat the food. The French term probably has earlier roots in the Arabic qandi, Persian qand and Sanskrit khanda, all words for sugar. Sugarcane is indigenous to tropical South and Southeast Asia. Pieces of sugar were produced by boiling sugarcane juice in ancient India and consumed as khanda. Before sugar was readily available, candy was based on honey.
Before the Industrial Revolution, candy was often considered a form of medicine, either used to calm the digestive system or cool a sore throat. The Middle English word candy began to be used in the late 13th century. The first candy came to America during the early 18th century from Britain and France. Only a few of the early colonists were proficient in sugar work and sugary treats were generally only enjoyed by the very wealthy. The candy business underwent a drastic change in the 1830s when technological advances and the availability of sugar opened up the market.
The new market was not only for the enjoyment of the rich but also for the pleasure of the working class. There was also an increasing market for children. In 1851, confectioners began to use a revolving steam pan to assist in boiling sugar. This transformation meant that the candy maker was no longer required to continuously stir the boiling sugar. Our Mutual Friend, January 7, 1885, satirical cartoon by Joseph Keppler, warning of the dangers of color additives used in candy. As the path from producer to market became increasingly complicated, many foods were affected by adulteration and the addition of additives which ranged from relatively harmless ingredients, such as cheap cornstarch and corn syrup, to poisonous ones. In an 1885 cover cartoon for Puck, Joseph Keppler satirized the dangers of additives in candy by depicting the “mutual friendship” between striped candy, doctors, and gravediggers.
To this day, the process of going door to door to receive free candy during Halloween-time has become a major draw for children all across America. It is the one day of the year that ringing a neighbor’s doorbell is socially acceptable. Children across the country will continually dress up in costume and go door to door. In turn, the residents of each house graciously buy candy for children and hand it out in small increments. The tradition of handing out treats on Halloween originated from the holiday of All Hallows Day, or All Saints Day, which derives from Christian tradition. On this day, children would travel across town, saying prayers along the way.
These children prayed mainly for all people who had passed away. In between their prayers, these children would also arrive at the doorsteps of people within their town. The idea of providing trick-or-treaters with candy was not fully conceptualized until the 1950s. Up until that point many households continued to provide children with soul cakes among other homemade goods. However, it was discovered by numerous candy producers that the holiday of Halloween could be marketed to sell their products.
As a result, many households began to buy candy products. The main cause for the shift from homemade treats to pre-packaged candies was the result of speculation concerning tampered food. Many parents during this time were concerned that their children were being exposed to needles or toxic chemicals within their halloween goods. The lack of packaging made it much easier for a person to put dangerous substances into the food they were planning to give out. Judging from recent statistics, it is evident that Halloween candy is still at high demand. From the same report, the demand for halloween candy was “up 59.
From these numbers it can be presumed that Halloween is still a big deal for Americans. An even bigger deal for the American public is the act of receiving candy from trick-or-treating. Fazer company in the 1890s, which at the time specialized exclusively in the candy and confectionery industry. Sugar candies include hard candies, soft candies, caramels, marshmallows, taffy, and other candies whose principal ingredient is sugar. Hard-boiled candies made by the vacuum cooking process include stick candy, lemon drops and horehound drops. Open-fire candy, like molasses taffy and cream taffy, is cooked in open kettles and then pulled. Konpeitō is a traditional Japanese sugar candy.
Fruit-shaped hard candy is a common type of sugar candy, containing sugar, color, flavor, and a tiny bit of water. The different colors and textures are due to each square being made from a different type of nut or seed. Chikki are homemade nut brittles popular in India. Between the nuts or seeds is hard sugar candy. German Haribo gummy bears were the first gummi candy ever made. Fudge is a type of sugar candy that is made by mixing and heating sugar, butter and milk. Pantteri is a soft, chewy Finnish sugar candy.
