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Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called sugar confectionery, encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum, and sugar candy. , fruit, or nuts which have been glazed and coated with sugar are said to be Candied fruit.
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. Unlike sweet pastries served for a dessert course at the end of a meal, candies are normally eaten casually, often with the fingers, as a snack between meals. Each culture has its own ideas of what constitutes candy rather than dessert. The same food may be a candy in one culture and a dessert in another.
Sugarcane is indigenous to tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. Pieces of sugar were produced by boiling sugarcane juice in ancient India and consumed as khanda.George Watt (1893), The Economic Products of India, W.H. Allen & Co., Vol 6, Part II, pages 29–30J.A. Hill (1902), The Anglo-American Encyclopedia, Volume 7, page 725Thomas E. Furia (1973), CRC Handbook of Food Additives, Second Edition, Volume 1, , page 7 (Chapter 1, by Thomas D. Luckey)Mary Ellen Snodgrass (2004), Encyclopedia of Kitchen History, , Routledge, pages 145–146 Between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, the Persian people, followed by the Greeks, discovered the people in India and their "reeds that produce honey without ". They adopted and then spread sugar and Sugarcane.
Before sugar was readily available, candy was based on honey. Honey was used in Ancient China, the Middle East, Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire to coat fruits and flowers to preserve them or to create forms of candy. Candy is still served in this form today, though now it is more typically seen as a type of garnish.
Before the Industrial Revolution, candy was often considered a form of medicine, either used to calm the digestive system or cool a sore throat. In the Middle Ages candy appeared on the tables of only the most wealthy at first. At that time, it began as a combination of and sugar used as an aid to digestion. Banquet hosts typically served these types of 'candies' at banquets for their guests. One of these candies, sometimes called chamber spice, was made with cloves, ginger, aniseed, juniper berries, almonds and pine kernels dipped in melted sugar.
The Middle English word candy began to be used in the late 13th century.
The first candy came to United States during the early 18th century from Great 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. Even the simplest form of candy – rock candy, made from Crystallization sugar – was considered a luxury.
In 1847, the invention of the candy press (also known under the surprising name of a toy machine) made it possible to produce multiple shapes and sizes of candy at once. 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. The heat from the surface of the pan was also much more evenly distributed and made it less likely the sugar would burn. These innovations made it possible for only one or two people to successfully run a candy business.
As the path from producer to market became increasingly complicated, many foods were affected by adulteration and the addition of Food additive which ranged from relatively harmless ingredients, such as cheap Corn starch and corn syrup, to poisonous ones. Some manufacturers produced bright colors in candy by the addition of hazardous substances for which there was no legal regulation: green (chromium(III) oxide and copper acetate), red (lead(II,IV) oxide and mercury sulfide), yellow (lead chromate) and white (chalk, arsenic trioxide).
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. By 1906, research into the dangers of additives, exposés of the food industry, and public pressure led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act, the first federal United States law to regulate food and drugs, including candy.
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. Pan work candies include nuts and other candies like jelly beans and sugar-coated almonds, made by coating with sugar in revolving copper kettles. Gum work candy is cooked in large kettles fashioned for melting and molded, dried and sugared like gum drops. They are soaked for a time in sugar syrup to allow to form.
Sugar candies can be classified into noncrystalline and crystalline types. This is based on microscopic crystal structure, and not on the visible appearance of the candy, so a piece of candy that looks like a crystal may well be a noncrystalline type. Noncrystalline candies are homogeneous and may be chewy or hard; they include hard candies, caramels, toffees, and nougats. Crystalline candies incorporate small crystals in their structure, meaning they have a creamy texture that melts in the mouth or are easily chewed; these include fondant and fudge.Norman Potter and Joseph Hotchkiss (1999), Food Science: Fifth Edition, , Springer, Chapter 20 In 2022, flavorless candy was developed that was hard but not sweet.
The final texture of sugar candy depends primarily on the concentration of sugar. As the syrup is heated, it boils, water evaporates, the sugar concentration increases and the boiling point rises. A given temperature corresponds to a particular sugar concentration. These are called . In general, higher temperatures and greater sugar concentrations result in hard, brittle candies, and lower temperatures result in softer candies. The Cold Water Candy Test , Exploratorium; Sugar Syrup Chart at Baking911 Once the syrup reaches 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.
Most candies are made commercially. The industry relies significantly on trade secret protection, because candy recipes cannot be copyrighted or patented effectively, but are very difficult to duplicate exactly. Seemingly minor differences in the machinery, temperature, or timing of the candy-making process can cause noticeable differences in the final product.
Packages are often sealed with a starch-based adhesive derived from tapioca, potato, wheat, sago, or sweet potato. Occasionally, glues are made from the bones and skin of cattle and hogs for a stronger and more flexible product, but this is not as common because of the expense.
Candy packaging played a role in its adoption as the most popular treat given away during trick-or-treating for Halloween in the US. In the 1940s, most treats were homemade. During the 1950s, small, individually wrapped candies were recognized as convenient and inexpensive. By the 1970s, after widely publicized but largely false stories of poisoned candy myths circulating in the popular press, factory-sealed packaging with a recognizable name brand on it became a sign of safety. (2025). 9780865477568, Faber & Faber, Incorporated. ISBN 9780865477568
Shelf life considerations with most candies are focused on appearance, taste, and texture, rather than about the potential for food poisoning; that is, old candy may not look appealing or taste very good, even though it is very unlikely to make the eater sick. Candy can be made food safety by storing it badly, such as in a wet, moldy area. Typical recommendations are these: The Shelf Life of Candy from The Candy Crate
Even in a culture that eats sweets frequently, candy is not a significant source of nutrition or food energy for most people. The average American eats about 1.1 kg (2.5 pounds) of sugar or similar sweeteners each week, but almost 95% of that sugar—all but about 70 grams (2.5 ounces)—comes from non-candy sources, especially soft drinks and processed foods. (2025). 9780865477568, Faber & Faber, Incorporated. ISBN 9780865477568
At the 1904 World Fair, the Quaker Oats Company made a candy-coated puffed cereal, a wheat-based product similar to Cracker Jack's candy-coated popcorn. The product concept was re-introduced unsuccessfully in 1939 by another business as Ranger Joe, the first pre-sweetened, candy-coated breakfast cereal. Post Foods introduced their own version in 1948, originally called Happy Jax and later Sugar Crisp. They marketed it as both a replacement for unsweetened breakfast cereals and also for eating as a snack or as candy, using three animated cartoon bears as the mascots: Candy, Handy, and Dandy. The early slogans said, "As a cereal it's dandy—for snacks it's so handy—or eat it like candy!"
In more recent times, a variety of snack bars have been marketed. These include bars that are intended as as well as snack bars that are marketed as having nutritional advantages when compared to candy bars, such as granola bars. However, the actual nutritional value is often not very different from candy bars, except for usually a higher sodium content, and the flavors (most popularly, chocolate, fudge, and caramel) and the presentation mimic candy bars.
Among the Bengali people, candy may be eaten for an entire meal, especially during festivals. Candy may also be offered to vegetarian guests in lieu of fish or meat dishes in India.
Other ingredients commonly found in candy that are not suitable for vegetarian or vegan diets include carmine, a red dye made from cochineal beetles, and confectioner's glaze, which contains shellac, a resin excreted by female Kerria lacca.
The link between candy and caries was formally identified through the Vipeholm experiments, where intellectually disabled people were fed copious amounts of candy and were found to develop poor dental health. The experiments are today considered to have violated multiple principles of medical ethics.
Contamination by infectious agents such as virus or bacteria is unlikely through sweets, including unwrapped sweets. This is in part because bacteria can not replicate in the very dry and sweet environment of candy.
Non-nutritive toy products such as chocolate eggs containing packaging with a toy inside are banned from sale in the US. If the material attached to confectionery has a function and will not cause any injury to the consumer, it is allowed to be marketed. In the EU, however, the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC specifies that toys contained in food only need separate packaging that cannot be swallowed.
Because each culture varies in how it treats some foods, a food may be considered a candy in one place and a dessert in another. For example, in Western countries, baklava is served on a plate and eaten with a fork as a dessert, but in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Eastern Europe, it is treated as a candy.
Adults worry that other people will use candy to poison or entice children into harmful situations. Stranger danger warnings include telling children not to take candy from strangers, for fear of the child being abducted. Poisoned candy myths persist in popular culture, especially around trick-or-treating at Halloween, despite the rarity of actual incidents.
The phrase is a common simile, and means that something is very easy to do.
A 1959 Swedish dental health campaign encouraged people to reduce the risk of dental problems by limiting consumption of candy to once a week. The slogan, "All the sweets you want, but only once a week", started a tradition of buying candy every Saturday, called lördagsgodis (literally "Saturday candy"). (2025). 9780865477568, Faber & Faber, Incorporated. ISBN 9780865477568 However, the widespread availability of bulk confectionery has made Swedes the world’s largest consumers of candy since at least 2009.
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. They prayed mainly for all those who had died. In between their prayers, these children would arrive at the doorsteps of houses. As a reward for their actions, they were given homemade cakes referred to as soul cakes, made by the homeowners. These soul cakes resembled a form of biscuit and were usually filled with raisins or cinnamon among other ingredients. Many cakes were also given to the poor. The soul cakes gave these children the incentive to pray intensely in exchange for sweets.
The idea of providing trick-or-treaters with candy began in the 1950s in the US. Up until then many households continued to provide children with soul cakes among other homemade goods. However, it was discovered by candy producers that Halloween could be marketed to sell their products. As a result, many households began to buy candy. The main draw to these candy products were that they were inexpensive, took no time to prepare, and came in bulk. Nevertheless, candy would not fully take over until the 1970s. Up until then, givers would continue to make treats or package small toys and coins specifically for Halloween.
The main cause for the shift from homemade treats to pre-packaged candies was the result of speculation concerning tampered food. Parents were concerned their children were being exposed to chemicals within their halloween goods. The lack of packaging made it much easier for a person to put dangerous substances in. These worries were heightened because of a large number of false reports concerning medical attention relating to dangerous halloween treats. As a result, parents became more likely to allow their children to participate in Halloween festivities when packed candy was introduced. They noticed it would be harder for someone to tamper with factory-packaged sweets because the seal would be torn.
In 2021 alone, profits from halloween candy were up to at least "$324 million". The demand for halloween candy was "up 60% from 2019". Candy continues to be a staple for the Halloween season and remains the biggest draw for participation.
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