February 28th, 2008
The History Of Cotton Candy And How This Spun Sugar Confection Is Made
Most Americans remember reaching up to grab huge, pink swirls of cotton candy at the circus or an amusement park. It brings back memories of hot summer days, crunchy sweet candy you can only eat with your hands and of course, pink sticky faces and clothes.
Cotton candy is also known by such enchanting names as spun sugar or fairy floss. As early as the 1400’s, European chefs were spinning extravagant desserts out of sugar. Though, the little hands reaching out for this confection likely wore gold rings and mom and dad warned the children about getting their robes and crowns sticky. The sugar strands were thicker and more like blown glass than today’s cottony spun sugar. The candy could be formed into golden webs, eggs, bird’s nests, castles and other fanciful creations.