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Candy

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A wide range of candies on display on a market in Barcelona, Spain.
File:Candyshelf.jpg
A shelf filled with prepackaged candies

Etymology and dialect meanings

Candy comes from the Arabic "qandi," meaning crystallized sugar, [1] via French and Italian,[2] from Tamil "kantu,"[1] lump and from Dutch "Kandij".

Candy is made simply by dissolving sugar in water. The different heating levels determine the types of candy: Hot temperatures make hard candy, medium heat will make soft candy and cool temperatures make chewy candy.

In some areas, "candy" is generally taken to mean confectionery made from crystallized sugar, whereas in other areas (notably North America) candy is a term used more broadly to include chocolate, non-chocolate and gum. In the United Kingdom in general, a piece of confectionery is referred to as a sweet. In Australian English, all such confections may be collectively referred to as lollies or lollypops. In New Zealand English, both terms are used. The variant term "lollipop" is also used in North America and the United Kingdom, but only to describe a certain type of candy that it is attached to a stick. Candy is enjoyed throughout the world for its sweetness.

Manufacture

Candies are prepared by dissolving sugar in water or milk to form a syrup, and boiling it until it starts to caramelize. Depending on the solvent and the end result of the process, the product may be called candy, caramel, toffee, fudge, praline, tablet or taffy. The recipe used also predicts how hard, soft, chewy or brittle the end result should be. The eventual texture of candy depends on the temperature to which the sugar solution is boiled, since the presence of a solute in a liquid elevates the boiling point of the liquid. As the syrup is heated, it boils, which causes the sugar concentration in the syrup to increase due to evaporation of the water, which raises the boiling point even further. The relationship between the boiling point and the sugar concentration is predictable, and so heating the syrup to a particular temperature ensures a particular sugar concentration with some accuracy. In general, higher temperatures — which imply greater sugar concentrations — result in hard, brittle candies, and lower temperatures result in softer candies. These "stages" of cooking candy have been named and correlated with the cooking temperatures, and is frequently specified in recipes:

  • "thread": 230-233°F / 110-111°C
  • "soft-ball": 234-240°F / 112-115°C
  • "firm-ball": 244-248°F / 118-120°C
  • "hard-ball": 250-266°F / 121-130°C
  • "soft-crack": 270-290°F / 132-143°C
  • "hard-crack": 295-310°F / 146-154°C

This unusual nomenclature derives from the process used to test the syrup in times before thermometers became affordable. A small spoonful of the hot syrup was dropped into a glass of cold water. The characteristics of the resulting lump of sugar could then be used to determine the concentration of the syrup. "Thread" stage produces long strings of hardened sugar, while "ball" stages result in a smooth lump with the corresponding hardness described. The "crack" stages create a ball of candy so brittle that the rapid cooling from the water literally causes it to crack. This method is still used today in some kitchens; however, a candy thermometer is much more convenient, but has the draw back of not automatically adjusting for local conditions such as altitude as the cold water test does.

Once the syrup reaches 340°F or higher, the sucrose molecules break down into many simpler sugars, creating an amber-colored substance known as caramel. This should not be confused with caramel candy, although it is the candy's main flavoring agent.


Historical associations

Circa 1000 CE, the Arabs controlled the strategic Mediterranean island of Crete, famous for its honey. They built a large sugar refinery, possibly the first such industrial facility. Their name for the island was Qandi, the Arabic word for crystallized sugar. [History of Food, Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat,Translated by Anthea Bell (Barnes & Noble Books:New York) 1992 (p. 549-554)] The island and its capital, now known as Heraklion, were subsequently called Candia under Turkish Ottoman Empire rule (Greek Χάνδαξ or Χάνδακας, Turkish Kandiye).

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Douglas Harper (2001-11). "candy". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2006-09-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "candy". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2000. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
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