Candy corn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Candy corn is a confection popular in the United States, particularly around Halloween. Each piece is approximately the size of a whole kernel of corn, as if it fell off a ripe or dried ear of corn. The candy is usually tri-colored with a yellow base, orange center, and white tip, although the color combinations may vary. Candy corn is made primarily from sugar, corn syrup and honey. Carnauba wax is usually added. Although it is most popular at Halloween, it is available year-round. The National Confectioners Association estimate 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold each year.[1] October 30 is National Candy Corn Day.[2]
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[edit] Origin
Candy corn was invented by George Renninger in the 1880s and produced by the Wunderle Candy Company. By 1900, the Goelitz Candy Company, now Jelly Belly, started mass producing the candy.
[edit] Production
Candy corn was originally made by hand. Manufacturers first combined sugar, corn syrup, and water and cooked them into a slurry. Fondant was added for texture and marshmallows provided a soft bite. The final mixture was then heated and poured into shaped molds. Three passes were required during the pouring process, one for each colored section. Few changes have been made to the process or recipe, with machines now performing the tasks formerly done by people.
[edit] Variations
Candy corn has taken many shapes over the years for different holidays. "Indian Candy Corn" in which the yellow is replaced with chocolate-flavored brown, is sold during the Thanksgiving holiday season. "Reindeer Corn" is produced during Christmas season, the yellow is replaced with red and the orange is replaced with green. "Cupid Corn" is produced during Valentines season, in which the yellow and orange are replaced with red and pink, and "Bunny Corn" which is produced during Easter, in which many colors are made for each kernel such as yellow, pink, green, blue, purple and white.
[edit] Candy Corn in popular culture
Lewis Black made a routine about candy corn which is included in his Comedy Central Presents DVD and also in his audio CD performance The Carnegie Hall Performance:
Candy corn is the only candy in the history of America that's never been advertised. And there's a reason. All of the candy corn that was ever made was made in 1911. And so, since nobody eats that stuff, every year there's a ton of it left over. And the candy corn company sends the guys out into the villages, to collect out of the dumpsters all the candy corn we've thrown away. They wash it! They wash it! I'll never forget the first time my mother gave me candy corn. She said, 'Here Lewis! This is corn that tastes like candy!' (takes it, eats it) ... 'This tastes like crap!' And every year since then, Halloween is returned and I, like an Alzheimer's patient, find myself in a room, and the room has a table in it, and on the table, is a bowl of candy corn. And I look at it, as if I've never seen it before. 'Candy corn,' I think. 'Corn that tastes like candy. I can't wait.' (takes it, takes a bite) 'SON OF A BITCH!'
In Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960), the character of Norman Bates nervously munches on Candy corn, a character tic reportedly improvised by actor Anthony Perkins himself, and subsequently approved by the director
[edit] References
- ^ Brach's Confections, Inc. 2004. "Brach's for Halloween." Press release. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
- ^ National Confectioners Association. "Candy Holidays." Retrieved 2006-10-26.
