National Hard Candy Day– December 19, 2021

Put the peanut butter balls and the sugar cookies down, because December 19 is all about the hard stuff as we celebrate National Hard Candy Day. While we’re a little sticky about the origins of this holiday, it can be safely stated that hard candy has long been a chosen sweet treat by lots of societies. Over the years, confectioners have actually refined the procedure to an exact science, and we now know exactly how hot we require the sugar to develop sweet, sticky, crunching, and cracking hard candy, so get your Tootsie Pops (and your tooth brushes) all set.

NATIONAL HARD CANDY DAY TIMELINE
13th century
Sugar, Sugar!
Crystallized sugar candy was being prepared and sold in nations abundant in sugar walking cane.

1844
Boiled Confectionary
John Millar began a pastry shop in Leith and shortly after, started producing liquorice and blackcurrant hard candy.

1900s
Sugared Nuts in India
In the Subcontinent (Now partitioned as India and Pakistan), Chikkis became a popular hard candy, with molten sugar combined with different dry fruit.

1947
Candy is Dandy
The first candy-making machine was developed by a pharmacist to crank out candy lozenges.

NATIONAL HARD CANDY DAY ACTIVITIES
Make your own lollipops
Making your own hard candy isn’t usually the first thing we believe of when coming up with homemade products, however lollipops might easily make their way onto that list. As long as you can find a mold (they’re available in baking shops or online) you can purchase the components for lollipops in any grocery shop.

Embellish your home with hard candy
It’s the holiday, and thanks to hard candy’s brilliant colors, there’s more to these sugary foods than just eating. Discover a clear vase with a cool shape, an old bottle with a large mouth, or any other container, and fill it with whatever candy looks best. If the wrappers are all the same color, this can still produce a gift-theme ambiance.

Branch off
If you’re a dyed in the wool Werther’s fan, perhaps it’s time to venture out of Candy Walking Cane Court and into Lemon Drop Lane. There’s a whole world of hard candies out there, from fruit seasoned to chocolate cream and even more unknown tastes, like wild flowers and cinnamon. You never ever know what your next favorite might be.

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL HARD CANDY DAY
Hard candy is medicinal
Of course not every hard candy can claim to be helpful for the body, however there are reasons that hard candy takes the form it does today. Originally, hard candies made with lemon or peppermint were most likely offered to patients with stomach problems. The sluggish release of these components, which are understood stomachache remedies, was and is still a great way to consume them. So just tell your dental practitioner all those Christmastime candy walking sticks were for assisting your indegestion. She’ll understand.

Hard candy makes you clever
What was once an old legend now has some basis in science. Scientists at the University of Cincinnati have actually discovered that sucking on a peppermint while taking a test can increase concentration ability. Other research studies have actually demonstrated that a fast burst of sugar can help people stand firm longer on uphill struggles, and can delay satisfaction. Consider this next time you’ve got a long day of work ahead of you.

Hard candy lasts and lasts
Unlike that plate of Christmas cookies you wolfed down the other night, hard candy is developed to last. A single, low-cost lollipop will provide you those cherry or grape flavors for far longer than other deals with. In fact, we’re still waiting to understand the number of licks it in fact takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. And while Wonka’s Everlasting Gobstopper isn’t yet a reality, confectioners have come a long way to give us a gift that keeps on giving.