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Cotton candy is essentially a very finely spun sugar. In cotton candy, the sugar is heated until it dissolves in a liquid, then rotated at high speed to release the liquid sugar in a series of small holes. When liquid sugar flows through these holes, it cools down quickly. The result is a mass of long, thin chains of sugar that are added to a cone or toothpick.
If you're wondering how cotton candy gets its pink, blue and green colour, you might be surprised to learn that, like sugar, cotton candy is naturally white. The cotton candy is colored with food colouring. By adding flavourings and colour syrup to the melted sugar, cotton candy makers can create blue and pink candy.
The year was 1897 when a dentist William Morrison made the first cotton candy with the help of a confectioner named John C. Wharton. Yes, you read that right, a dentist was involved in the making of our favourite treat. Since a dentist made it, cotton candy isn't as bad for your teeth as you might expect. Although it contains a little sugar, it is a delicacy that usually comes out of nowhere. That's why cotton candy has less sugar than other caramel candies.
Like Morrison, another dentist and inventor, Lascaux also worked in trading cotton candy. After patenting his “cotton candy” machine, Lascaux continued to sell this treatment in his dental practice in New Orleans. In the mid-1920s, this infused caramel became famous in North America for what we all know to be cotton candy.
From a veritable delicacy to a carnival delight, cotton candy has changed quite a bit over the centuries since the invention of these candy candies.
Cotton candy is still a special treat for sweet lovers and we can’t miss it if we're at a carnival or trade fair.
