Not to be confused withhard candy,which is called "sugar candy" in British English
Sugar candy – large crystals of sugar produced from concentrated solutions, often calledrock candyin America
Sugar candyis anycandywhose primary ingredient issugar.The main types of sugar candies arehard candies,fondants,caramels,jellies, andnougats.[1]In British English, this broad category of sugar candies is calledsweets,and the namecandyorsugar-candyis used only for hard candies that are nearly solid sugar.[2]
Sugar candy is a sub-type ofcandy,which includes sugar candies as well aschocolates,chewing gumand other sweet foods. Candy, in turn, is a sub-type ofconfectionery,which also includes sweet pastries and sometimesice cream.[3]
The oldest sugar candies are presumed to have been made where thesugar caneplant was domesticated.[4]Sugar cane probably originated in Papua New Guinea, and from there was taken to Southeast Asia and other Pacific Islands, and ultimately to India and China.[4]From India, sugar spread to the Arab states and eventually to Europe.
Sugar candy is often used to sweeten tea. Northern Germany, specificallyEast Frisia,has an establishedtea culture,where a large crystal of sugar candy(Kandiszuckeror in the regional dialectKluntje)is placed at the bottom of the cup and the hot tea added, which cracks and dissolves the crystal.[5]Similarly in Iran, tea is consumed with sugar candy (callednabat) placed either in the tea or in the mouth.[6]InChina,sugar candy is used to sweetenChrysanthemum teaas well asCantonese dessert soupsand the liquorbaijiu.
Sugar candy is a common ingredient in Chinese cooking, and many households have sugar candy available to marinate meats and add to stir fry. Sugar candy is also regarded as having medicinal properties and is used to prepare food such asyao shan.It is a common ingredient inTamil cuisine,particularly in theSri Lankancity ofJaffna.
In candy classification, rock-hard sugar candies that look similar to realcrystalsactually have an amorphous crystal structure, not a crystalline one.[7]
Chemically, sugar candies are broadly divided into two groups:crystallinecandies andamorphouscandies.[7]Crystalline candiesare not as hard ascrystalsof the mineral variety, but derive their name and their texture from their microscopically organized sugar structure, formed through a process ofcrystallization,which makes them easy to bite or cut into.Fudge,creams, andfondantare examples of crystalline candies.Amorphous candieshave a disorganized crystalline structure. They usually have higher sugar concentrations, and the texture may be chewy, hard, or brittle.Hard candies,such as lollipops,caramels,nut brittlesandtoffeesare all examples of amorphous sugar candies, even though some of them areas hard as rocksand resemble crystals in their overall appearance.[7]
Crystalline sugar candies are chemically described as having two phases, because the tiny, solid sugar crystals are suspended in a thick liquid solution.[8]These are also calledgrainedcandies, because they can have a grainy texture. Amorphous sugar candies have only one phase, which is either solid or liquid, and do not have a grainy texture, so they may be calledungrained.[8]
Commercially, sugar candies are often divided into three groups, according to the amount of sugar they contain:[7]
100% sugar (or nearly so), such ashard candiesor creams
95% sugar or more, with up to 5% other ingredients, such asmarshmallowsornougats,and
75 to 95% sugar, with 5 to 25% other ingredients, such as fudge or caramels.
Each of these three groups contains both crystalline (grained) and amorphous (ungrained) sugar candies.
Colorfully wrapped hard candy is a traditional treat for children sold inKaziuko mugė,Lithuania
Hard candies and pulled candies
Hard candies(also calledboiled sweets) are single-phase, amorphous sugar candies that are commonly made from a combination of sucrose and glucose syrups.[8]They are typically about 98% or more solid sugar. They have a glassy, translucent appearance.Pulled candy,likerockorBrach'sstarlight mints, is a hard candy that has been pulled or stretched to incorporate air. This process makes the candy opaque, as the air bubbles that are incorporated lead to more light being reflected back.
Fondants
Fondant candyis a partly crystallized, two-phased candy.[8]It is about 88% sugar by weight, usually with much more sucrose than glucose. In making fondant, a stiff sugar paste is cooked to a high temperature, then carefully cooled in order to let the sugar soften and mechanically beaten to produce the desired texture.
Caramels and toffees
Caramel is also used as an ingredient in other confections, such as a coating forcaramel apples.Caramelscontain milk and are cooked to a lower temperature than most sugar candies; toffees are similar, but use less milk and are cooked hotter.[8]In both cases, the milk protein causes these emulsified sugar candies to hold their shapes and prevents the sugars from crystallizing. Their brown colour is due to aMaillard reactionbetween the milk protein and the sugars.
Fudges
Fudge is defined by its texture, and many kinds do not contain any chocolate.Fudges,which are made in a wide variety of flavours, are essentially two-phased, crystallized caramels, with a short texture (easily broken).[8]Sugar crystals are formed either due to agitation or the addition of crystal seeds in the form of powdered sugar or crushed fondant candy. The texture depends on the number and size of sugar crystals, the fat content, and the dispersion of milk solids.
Nougats and marshmallows
Nougatsandmarshmallowsare confectionery foams, full of air.[8]In the final product, there is often as much air, or even more, than sugar; for marshmallows, a ratio of 5 parts air to two parts syrup by volume is typical. Chemically, they may be single-phase or two-phased. Marshmallows are stabilized by acolloidlike gelatin. Compared to nougats, marshmallows have higher moisture content, are softer and more rubbery, and dry out more easily.
Jellies and gums
Jelliesandgumsare thick, liquid sugar candies.[8]Gums, such aswine gums,are drier than jellies. They are made from sugar syrup plus agelling agent.They are cooked to the lowest temperature of all sugar candies and consequently have the highest water content of sugar candies, about 20 to 25% water. Their stiffness depends on the type and amount of gelling agent, the final concentration, thepHof the product, and other factors. The most popular forms of gelling agent aregelatin,agar-agar,starch (more typical of American jelly candies), andpectin(more typical of European candies). These produce different effects. For example, starch produces cloudy jellies, while high-methoxyl pectin produces clear ones. Agar-based jellies are harder to dissolve, and gelatin-based jellies have a more rubbery texture.
Nut pastes
The most commonnut pastecandy ismarzipan,which is an almond nut paste.[8]Nut pastes are made by mi xing crushed nuts with a sugar syrup.
Panned candies
Candy-coated peanuts are calleddragees.Panned candyis a category of sugar candy that includesdragéesandcomfits.[8]These sugar candies are formed by coating nuts, preserved fruits, or other sugar candies with either sugar or chocolate in a revolving pan.
Pralines, truffles, and noisettes
There is significant variation amongpralines,truffles,andnoisettes.[8]In general, they involve roasting nuts in a high-temperature sugar syrup, and then grinding the cooled result into a paste.
Lozenge pastes and cream pastes
Conversation heartsare a non-medicinallozengepaste candy.Lozenge pasteis a candy made by combining fine sugar with anatural gumlikegum arabic.[8]The paste is stamped, cut, and dried until almost no water content remains.Conversation heartsare an example of lozenge paste candies that have been manufactured for over a century.[9]Acream pastemay include gelatin and is not dried as completely.
Licorice
Licoriceis a candy flavored byliquoriceplants.[8]It is usually a stiff, gelatinous paste.
Historically, candy was used not only as food but also aspharmaceuticalpreparations, to disguise the unpleasant taste of the drug ingredients.Cough dropsand some other drugs show this heritage in the form of sugar tablets containing drugs, active drug ingredients being added to hard candies, and panned sugar coatings surrounding unpalatable pills.[10]
During theMiddle Ages,Thomas Aquinasauthorized the consumption of sugarcandyduring the fasting period ofLent,because "sugared spices" (such ascomfits) were, in his opinion, digestive aids on par with medicine rather than food.[11]
Shelf lifeis largely determined by the amount of water present in the candy and the storage conditions.[12]High-sugar candies, such as hard candies, can have a shelf life of many years if kept covered in a dry environment. Spoilage for low-moisture candies tends to involve a loss of shape, color, texture and flavor, rather than the growth of dangerous microbes. Impermeable packaging can reduce spoilage due to storage conditions.
Candies spoil more quickly if they have different amounts of water in different parts of the candy (for example, a candy that combines marshmallow and nougat), or if they are stored in high-moisture environments.[12]This process is due to the effects ofwater activity,which results in the transfer of unwanted water from a high-moisture environment into a low-moisture candy, rendering it rubbery, or the loss of desirable water from a high-moisture candy into a dry environment, rendering the candy dry and brittle.
Another factor, affecting only non-crystalline amorphous sugar candies, is theglass transitionprocess.[12]This can cause amorphous candies to lose their intended texture.
In George Orwell's satirical bookAnimal Farmwhich equates the Soviet Union with an animal farm ruthlessly dominated by a ruling class of pigs, a raven called Moses regales Animal Farm's denizens with tales of a wondrous place beyond the clouds called "Sugarcandy Mountain, that happy country where we poor animals shall rest forever from our labours!" Orwell portraysestablished religionas "the black raven of priestcraft—promising pie in the sky when you die, and faithfully serving whoever happens to be in power." The pigs bring the exiled raven back (Ch. IX), as Stalin brought back theRussian Orthodox Church.
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