Heidi Geldner, age 11, of New Bedford, Mass., for her question:
WHO WAS THE FIRST TO MAKE CANDY?
We don't know the name of the first person to make candy, but we do know it was someone back in ancient Egyptian times. Records show that about 4,000 years ago, about 2000 B.C, people used a confectionery process used to make sweetmeats.
It wasn't until 1470, however, that a candymaker in Venice learned to refine sugar imported from the Orient. It was the use of this sugar that set the stage for the modern candy industry.
During American colonial times, sugar from maple tree sap provided candy for the people. And in 1850, a revolving steam pan was invented that made it possible to make large amounts of candy at low cost. Prior to this time, candy was very expensive.
Sugar is the main ingredient of candy. There are more than 2,000 kinds of candy made today. People in the United States eat about 3.5 billion pounds of candy each year.
Certainly too much candy can be bad for you, but in moderation nutritionists tell us that candy is a good food that can supply quick energy. This is especially true if the candy is also made with butter, fruit products, milk and nuts.
The United States Food and Drug Law requires that ail candy be made with pure ingredients and nonpoisonous flavorings and colorings. Harmless vegetable dyes are among the ingredients approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in candy.
Manufacturers make cost candy from a mixture of melted sugar and water, called simple syrup. By varying these ingredients or adding to them, the manufacturer can make candies of different kinds.
There are three basic types if candy: those made entirely of the simple syrup; those that are modified by other ingredients of not more than five percent of the total bulk of the candy; and those that contain large amounts of ingredients other than simple syrup.
Hard candy may be clear, pulled, grained or filled. Clear hard candy is really cooled simple sugar from which much of the water has been removed. Flavorings and coloring may added.
Fondant is made by mixing syrup with milk or water. It forms the familiar soft filling for chocolates, candy bars and bonbons. Manufacturers make fondant by dissolving sugars in water. They cook the mixture to the required temperature and cool it immediately. When it cools enough, beaters cream the mixture to keep the sugar crystals small and the consistency of the candy smooth.
Caramels and toffees are much alike, and often their names are interchangeable. They are mixtures of sugar and water with fat, coloring and flavorings added.
Toffee is heated to a high temperature, poured on a slab and broken into small pieces when it is cool. Caramel is cooked at lower temperatures, rolled into strips and cut while it is still warm.
Fudge is probably one of the most popular of all soft candies.
Chocolate ranks as one of the most popular ingredients of candies.