A favorite of young and old alike, National Hard Candy Day – celebrated annually on December 19th – recognizes the sweet tooth in all of us. Most hard candies are 100% sugar with flavoring and colors added. To achieve a hard candy, confectioners boil a sugar syrup to 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the temperature is reached, the hot, pliable sugar is poured into molds or rolled and folded into shapes and left to cool. Once cool, the solid sugar becomes hardened and brittle.
A Little Hard Candy History
The first hard candies, such as lemon drops and peppermints, were likely prescribed as a remedy for stomach ailments.
Hard candy became popular in the seventeenth century as sugar prices fell. Previously, hard candy was something that only the well-to-do could afford. By the mid-1800s, over 400 companies were manufacturing this popular treat.
In 1982, Dolly Parton released “Hard Candy Christmas” as a single, and the melancholy gem still one of the most popular Holiday songs of the season.
In 2015, Jolly Rancher surpassed Werther’s Original was the best selling hard candy. Other popular hard candies include Dum Dum Pops, Life Savers, Tootsie Roll Pops, and Charms Blow Pop.
How to Observe #HardCandyDay
First, go ahead and eat one! Yes, enjoy your favorite hard candy.
And while you’re out shopping for some to taste, be sure to pick some up to fill those stockings, too.
Share your love of the hard stuff. Use #NationalHardCandyDay to post on social media.
Ask Alexa to play “Hard Candy Christmas” on full volume and repeat.
Did you know?
Hard candy can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, Arabia, and China? Archaeologists in all of these regions have found traces of “candied” fruits and nuts that had been dipped in honey, which is a preservative. There is also evidence that people stuck sticks into their candy treats to keep their hands from getting sticky as they ate them, just like our modern lollipops!
The world’s largest lollipop weighs 6,514 pounds? Ashrita Furman and members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre made it in August of 2009 to break the Guinness World Record. To celebrate National Hard Candy Day, enjoy a piece (or two) of your favorite hard candies!
Hard candy makes you smart? It’s true! What was once an old legend now has some basis in science. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that sucking on a peppermint while taking a test can increase concentration ability. Other studies have demonstrated that a quick burst of sugar can help people persevere longer on difficult tasks, and can delay gratification. Consider this next time you’ve got a long day of work ahead of you.
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