Cotton candy
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Cotton candy (American English), candy floss (British English / Hiberno English), or fairy floss (Australian English) is a form of spun sugar. Since it consists of mostly air, servings are large. Many people consider eating cotton candy part of the quintessential experience of a visit to a fairground or circus. The most popular color of cotton candy is pink, though any color can be made. 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.
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[edit] History
It was introduced in 1904 by William Morrison and John C. Wharton, at the St. Louis World's Fair as "Candy Floss"[1] with great success, selling 68,655 boxes at the then-high $0.25 ($5.70 in 2007 dollars), half the cost of admission to the fair.
[edit] Production
The machine used to make cotton candy consists of a small bowl into which sugar is poured and food coloring added. Heaters near the rim melt the sugar and it is spun out through tiny holes where it 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
Sweet and sticky, 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] Health concerns
Above and beyond possible issues connected with ingesting nearly pure sugar, research published in 2008 suggests that Tartrazine (E102), the food coloring used in cotton candy, is linked to hyperactive behavior and decreased intelligence in children.[2] Tartrazine, also known as FD&C Yellow 5, is found in many other food products as well.
[edit] Trivia
- USA celebrates National Cotton Candy Day on December 7th.
- In Greece and Israel it is known as "old woman's hair" albeit in their respective languages.
- In India and Pakistan, it is known as "doll's hair".
- In France, it is called Barbe à papa, which means "Papa's beard"
- In Iran, it is called پشمک, which means "wool-like".
- In the Netherlands, on Queen's Day (April 30) orange cotton candy is sold everywhere. The Dutch word for it is "sugar spider".
- In Thailand, it is called ขนมสายไหม, which mean "silk-candy"
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
