10 Crazy Facts About Confectionery.
Number 1. Cotton candy was invented by a dentist. Yes, this favourite sugary treat
found at carnivals and fairs was created by American dentist William Morrison
in partnership with confectioner John C. Wharton. Although various forms of spun-sugar have existed
throughout history, Mr Morrison and Mr Wharton are credited with the creation of the very first
cotton candy machine. Originally, the product was marketed at the 1904 World’s Fair as “Fairy
Floss”, which is the name that is still in use in Australia. In many parts of the world such
as the UK, South Africa, and New Zealand, the treat is known as “candy floss”. One must wonder
what business does a dentist have in inventing an edible cotton that is made from 100% sugar. Hmm.
Number 2. The two M’s in M&Ms stand for “Mars and Murrie”. Forrest Mars Sr. was an American
businessman and the driving force of the Mars candy empire. Bruce Murrie was the
son of Hershey Chocolate’s president William Murrie, and had a 20% share in the product.
Number 3. Female arousal is most enhanced by the scent of Good-N-Plenty licorice
candy and cucumber. Yes, a 2005 study titled, “Exploring the Potentials of Human Olfaction”
found that women were most aroused by the smell of Good-N-Plenty in combination
with cucumber. The smell of cherries, barbecued meat,
and men’s cologne all acted to inhibit female arousal. Men, don’t take your date on a barbecue.
Number 4. White chocolate is not chocolate. In order to qualify as chocolate, a product
must contain cocoa solids. And white chocolate does no such thing.
Instead, it’s usually made from a combination of cocoa butter, lecithin (a fatty emulsifier),
milk products, sugar, and vanilla. Although cocoa butter is derived from cocoa beans
(the same place that cocoa solids come from), chocolate purists insist
that white chocolate is not chocolate despite being made from the same plant.
Number 5. The most searched for chocolate bars. According to online search results, North
Americans and Chinese love Mars Bars, Australian and New Zealanders love Cadbury Caramilk,
Russian’s love Lindt Excellence Bars, Indians and Mongolians love Cadbury Dairy Milk,
while Scandinavians and Germans love Tony’s Chocolonely Milk Chocolate.
Number 6. Benjamin Franklin sold chocolate in his print shop in Philadelphia.
Yes, the American Founding Father and inventor
had to pay the bills somehow during his early years, so he decided to sell chocolate,
considered at the time to be a luxury item. It was also touted for its medicinal use.
Number 7. Gummy Bears mixed with hot potassium chlorate equal Gummy Death.
A Washington DC science teacher’s experiment went viral in 2008
where he shoved a red Gummy Bear into a test tube of hot KClO3 causing a prolonged fiery explosion.
Number 8. 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.
Number 9. Candy was once a delicacy. In Europe during the middle ages, the high cost of sugar
made sugar candy a delicacy available only to the very wealthy. At that time, it was thought
to be an aid to digestive problems. Digestive problems were very common during this time due to
the constant consumption of food that was neither fresh nor well balanced. In 18th century America,
even the simplest form of candy – rock candy, made from crystallised sugar – was considered a luxury.
Number 10. In Japan, adults can buy sake-flavoured Kit Kats which contain
0.8% alcohol. They also sell whisky-flavoured Pocky Sticks. Yum!
And that’s 10 Crazy Facts About Confectionery. Leave a thumbs up if you think that the
dentist who invented cotton candy did so to create more demand for his dental services.