Cotton candy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cotton candy (American English), candy floss (British English), fairy floss (Australian English) , barbe à papa (French) is a form of spun sugar. Since it consists of mostly air, servings are large. Many people[who?] consider eating cotton candy part of the quintessential experience of a visit to a fairground or circus. Natural color of cotton candy is white, though any color can be made using food coloring. Eating cotton candy is often considered only one part of its allure; the second part is the act of watching it being produced in a machine.
A similar confectionery is the Persian Pashmak.
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[edit] History
According to Gourmet magazine, cotton candy was invented in 1897 by William Morrison and John C. Wharton and first introduced to a wide audience at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 as "Fairy Floss"[1] with great success, selling 68,655 boxes at the then-high $0.25, half the cost of admission to the fair. Fairy floss was renamed to "cotton candy" in the 1920s.[2]
Tootsie Roll of Canada Ltd. has a bagged product called "Fluffy Stuff" that it claims was first introduced at the 1893 World's Fair.[3]
The United States celebrates National Cotton Candy Day on December 7.[2]
[edit] Production
The machine used to make cotton candy consists of a small bowl, into which sugar is poured and food coloring is added.The bowl is spun at high speed and heaters near the rim melt the sugar, which is squeezed out through tiny holes by centrifugal force. The molten sugar solidifies in the air and is caught in a large metal bowl. The operator of the machine twirls a stick, a cone, or their hands around the rim of the large catching bowl, gathering the candy into portions. Modern cotton candy machines work in very much the same way as older ones.
[edit] Texture
Sticky and sweet, it dissolves quickly in the mouth (due to its amorphous nature) although it feels like wool to the touch. It does not have much of an aroma although the machine itself has a cooked sugar smell when in operation. Soft and fluffy when dry, when it comes in contact with moisture, it becomes sticky and damp. Because the sugar is hygroscopic, and has a very large surface area, it will become coarser, harder and generally less "flossy" once exposed to the atmosphere.
[edit] References
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008) |
The complete Confectioners, pastry, Cook And Baker By M. Sanderson (Lippincott: Philadelphia)
[edit] External links
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Look up Cotton candy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cotton candy |
