Candy corn facts for kids
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| Type | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Course | dessert/candy |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Main ingredients | Sugar, corn syrup, carnauba wax, artificial coloring and binders |
| Variations | cupid corn, bunny corn, harvest corn, reindeer corn |
Candy corn is a small, pyramid-shaped candy. It usually has three different colored sections. The candy feels a bit waxy and tastes like honey, sugar, butter, and vanilla. It's a very popular candy during the fall season and for Halloween in North America.
The classic colors of candy corn are yellow, orange, and white. These colors represent the fall harvest. They also look like corn on the cob, with the wide yellow end looking like a corn kernel. Some people really love candy corn, while others don't like it at all! It's often called "Halloween's most talked-about sweet."
Contents
The Sweet History of Candy Corn
Candy corn was first made in the 1880s. Its original name was "Chicken Feed"! George Renninger, who worked for the Wunderle Candy Company, invented it. Wunderle Candy Company started making it in 1888.
Later, the Goelitz Confectionery Company began making it in 1898. This company is now known as Jelly Belly. While Jelly Belly still makes candy corn, the biggest maker today is Brach's Confections. Brach's is owned by the Ferrara Candy Company. Brach's makes about 7 billion pieces of candy corn every year. They sell most of the candy corn during the Halloween season.
In the late 1800s, many candies were shaped like farm items. This was because most people lived in the countryside. Candies shaped like chestnuts, turnips, and clover leaves were popular. But candy corn stood out because of its bright, layered colors.
For a long time, candy corn was not just for fall. It was a common "penny candy" that people bought all year round. It was known as a cheap and tasty treat.
Around the 1950s, candy corn became a Halloween favorite. This was when people started giving out wrapped candies to trick-or-treaters. The candy's harvest colors and more advertising in October also helped it become a fall tradition. The National Confectioners Association even calls October 30 "National Candy Corn Day."
How Much Candy Corn Is Sold?
The National Confectioners Association estimates that about 35 million pounds of candy corn are sold each year. That's more than 15,000 metric tons! This amount is equal to almost 9 billion pieces of candy. Most of these sales happen during the Halloween season.
How Candy Corn Is Made
In the beginning, candy corn was made by hand. First, workers mixed sugar, corn syrup, carnauba wax, and water. They cooked this mix to create a thick liquid called a "slurry." Then, they added fondant to make it smooth. Marshmallows were also added to make the candy soft to bite.
The warm mixture was then poured into molds shaped like candy corn. This was a tricky process. Workers had to pour each of the three colors separately. They would pour one color, let it set a little, then pour the next, and so on.
Today, the recipe is still very similar. The way it's made, called "corn starch modeling," is also much the same. However, machines now do most of the work that used to be done by hand.
Different Kinds of Candy Corn
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There are many fun versions of candy corn!
- Harvest corn has a chocolate brown bottom, an orange middle, and a white tip. It often appears around Thanksgiving.
- During Halloween, you might find blackberry cobbler candy corn in Eastern Canada. There are also candy corn pieces shaped like pumpkins.
- For Christmas, there's "reindeer corn" with red and green colors.
- For Valentine's Day, "cupid corn" has red and pink.
- For Independence Day, "freedom corn" is blue, white, and red.
- For Easter, "bunny corn" usually has two colors. It comes in pastel shades like pink, green, yellow, or purple with white tips.
There are also many different flavors, like caramel apple, green apple, s'mores, pumpkin spice, carrot cake, and birthday cake. In 2022, Brach's even made a "tailgate" version with flavors like fruit punch, vanilla ice cream, popcorn, hotdog, and hamburger!
You can also find candy corn flavored snacks. These include Oreos, M&M's, and marshmallows.
See also
In Spanish: Maíz dulce (golosina) para niños
