Lemon drop (candy) facts for kids
 |
|
| Alternative names | LemonHeads |
|---|---|
| Type | Confectionery |
| Place of origin | England |
| Main ingredients | Sugar, flavoring (lemon), food coloring |
A lemon drop is a tasty, lemon-flavored candy. It's usually yellow and often shaped like a small ball. These candies can be sweet, or they can have a fun, sour kick!
Lemon drops are made by boiling sugar, water, and a special ingredient called cream of tartar. This mixture is heated until it reaches a very high temperature, making it super hard when it cools. As it cools down, lemon flavor is added. Then, the candy is rolled into long ropes, cut into small pieces, and coated in sugar.
What Are Lemon Drops?
Lemon drops are a type of hard candy. They get their name from their main flavor, which is lemon. These candies are popular around the world. They are known for their bright yellow color and their sweet or sour taste.
How Lemon Drops Are Made
Making lemon drops involves a careful cooking process. First, sugar, water, and cream of tartar are boiled together. This mixture needs to reach a stage called "hard crack." This means it's hot enough to become very brittle when it cools.
After the mixture cools a bit, lemon flavor is mixed in. This gives the candy its signature taste. The candy is then shaped into long ropes. These ropes are cut into small, bite-sized pieces. Finally, each piece is rolled in sugar. This gives them their classic sugary coating.
A Sweet History
Lemon drops first came from England. Candy makers there discovered a cool trick. Adding acid, like lemon juice, to the boiling sugar mixture stopped the sugar from turning grainy. This helped them make smooth, clear hard candies.
A very old candy, the Salem Gibraltar, was made in 1806. It was a bit like an early version of the lemon drop. Many hard candies we eat today, including lemon drops, actually came from old medicinal lozenges. These were like early cough drops. In the 1700s, new ways to work with sugar made it possible to create these hard, sweet treats.
More Than Just Candy
Sometimes, the name "lemon drop" is used for other things too. It can refer to lemon-flavored throat lozenges. These are candies that help soothe a sore throat.
