Hard candy can be found almost everywhere in some form or another. It has roots in many ancient cultures and is even used in medicine!
During holidays and celebrations around the world, it’s not uncommon to see some kind of traditional hard candy on the table.
For many of us, a memory of our grandmothers handing us a certain strawberry-flavored hard candy is one of our first!
It is no wonder, then, that we dedicate December 19 to celebrating this timeless treat – much to the dismay of dentists everywhere!
History of National Hard Candy Day
Although the history of National Hard Candy Day is largely unknown, the candies themselves have been around for millennia.
The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all had different types of hard candy, often flavored with fruits and nuts.
More recently, from the 17th century onwards, early pharmacists started using candies as vessels for different medicines and herbal remedies. These lozenges are still available today as cough drops.
It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that hard candy became much more affordable and easy to mass produce, and the world came to know and love it.
How to Celebrate National Hard Candy Day
Many people love to celebrate this day by eating all the candy they can get their hands on, but there’s more than one way to celebrate this sugar-filled day!
Visit the oldest candy company in America.
Ye Olde Pepper Companie in Salem, Massachusetts, is the place to be on December 19.
They started making their Salem Gibraltar candies in 1806 and have been selling them ever since. These lemon-flavored hard candies are delicious and have a very interesting history.
Have a go at making your own hard candies!
There are plenty of recipes out there, but a few basics remain the same. All you need is sugar, time, and whatever you want to flavor the candy!
If you feel like a challenge, make a few different batches and color them all differently. You can combine the different colors and mold them into different shapes.
Give some early Christmas gifts of candy to your loved ones.
With Christmas just around the corner, why not take a moment to appreciate your friends and family?
After making your own candies at home or shopping at your local candy store, wrap up a bag of butterscotch candies or candy canes and give them to your loved ones.
National Hard Candy Day FAQs
What is hard candy made of?
Most hard candy contains 98% sugar, namely sucrose, glucose, or fructose. The remaining 2% is usually the flavorings and colorants that make these candies so appealing.
What is the most popular hard candy flavor?
As the years have gone by, many flavors of candy have come out, but a few have stood the test of time.
Overall, cherry flavor is certainly the most popular around the world.
Why do we like sweets like hard candy?
In early human history, sweet things would have been much harder to come by.
Our hunter-gatherer genes make us particularly sensitive to sweet things, which give us the energy we need to survive.
5 Fun Facts About Hard Candy
The tools for making hard candy have remained relatively unchanged since Roman times. Archaeologists discovered a confectioner’s kitchen in Herculaneum, Italy, with pots and pans similar to today’s tools.
In the Middle Ages, Persians spread the production of sugar cane and sugar candy throughout their empire, popularizing candy throughout Europe and Central Asia.
The ancient Egyptians were the first to make hard candy, though their candy was honey-based and filled with nuts and fruit for flavor.
Sugar-free hard candies are usually made with isomalt, a sugar-like substitute. Isomalt doesn’t affect blood sugar or insulin levels, nor does it promote tooth decay.
In Japanese folklore, hard candies known as bekkō ame are used to distract an evil spirit named Kuchisake-onna while you run away!
Much more than just a tasty treat pulled out of your grandmother’s handbag, hard candies have a deep and rich history for many cultures around the world.
On National Hard Candy Day, we celebrate not only these sweet delights but also the joy they bring to our lives.
Whether you’re distracting a Japanese ghost or soothing your throat, these little sugary treats remind us of the sweetness of shared moments.
So grab your favorite hard candy and join in the fun today!
