Candy apple

Candy apple
Confectionery
Alternative name(s):
Toffee apple
Place of origin:
United States
Creator(s):
William W. Kolb
Main ingredient(s):
Apples, toffee or sugar candy
Recipes at Wikibooks:
Candy apple
Media at Wikimedia Commons:
Candy apple

Candy apples, also known as toffee apples outside of North America, are whole apples covered in a hard toffee or sugar candy coating, with a stick inserted as a handle. These are a common treat at autumn festivals in Western culture in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night because these festivals fall in the wake of the annual apple harvest.^[1] Although candy apples and caramel apples may seem similar, they are made using distinctly different processes.

History

According to the Newark Evening News in 1964:

William W. Kolb invented the red candy apple. Kolb, a veteran Newark candy-maker, produced his first batch of candied apples in 1908. While experimenting in his candy shop with red cinnamon candy for the Christmas trade, he dipped some apples into the mixture and put them in the windows for display. He sold the whole first batch for 5 cents each and later sold thousands yearly. Soon candied apples were being sold along the Jersey Shore, at the circus and in candy shops across the country, according to the Newark News in 1948.^[2]

Ingredients

Candy apple is made by coating an apple with a sugar layer. The most common sugar coating is made from sugar, corn syrup, water, cinnamon and red food coloring. Humid weather prevents the sugar from hardening.^[3]

Regional traditions

• Latin America: popular throughout those countries' extended holiday season.
  • Brazil: candy apples, named as in other Lusophone countries Portuguese: maçã-do-amor (as in the French pomme d'amour, it means "apple of love") are common in the festivities in honour of John the Apostle.
• Europe
  • UK: associated with and eaten around Halloween and Bonfire Night.
  • Germany: most often associated with the Christmas season. They are also sometimes sold at carnivals and fairs.
  • France: called French: Pommes d'amour (literally: Apples of love).
• China: a similar treat called Tanghulu is made by coating small fruits (traditionally hawthorns) with hard sugar syrup.
• Japan: Candy apples, grapes, strawberries and tangerines are commonly available at Japanese festivals.^[4]
• North America
  • Canada: very popular and usually eaten at fairs or carnivals.
  • United States: jelly apples, found in New York's Coney Island area, are related but have a soft candy ("jelly") coating and a cherry flavor, not cinnamon.^{[citation needed]}
• Israel: almost solely sold in cities' squares on Yom Ha'atzmaut eve (Israel Independence Day) as part of the street celebrations.

Candy apple scare in the United States

Pommes d'amour on display

During the 1960s and 1970s, news reports about children supposedly receiving candy apples with pins and razor blades in them, created hysteria during Halloween in the United States. During the hysteria, hospitals offered free x-rays to detect foreign objects in the candy apples. To date the stories have never been substantiated and fall into the category of urban legend.^[5]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Candy apples.

• Caramel apple
• Lollipop
• Tanghulu

References

1. ↑ ThisisSouthDevon.co.uk (9 October 2008). "Apples galore as event grows". Torquay Herald Express (Torquay, Devon: www.localworld.co.uk). Retrieved 2013-11-17. 
2. ↑ Newark Sunday News, November 28, 1948, pg.16. Newark Evening News, June 8, 1964, pg. 32
3. ↑ "Caramel Apples vs. Candy Apples". St. Petersburg Times. October 24, 2001. Retrieved October 22, 2010. 
4. ↑ Celeste Heiter; Things Asian Press (1 November 2009). To Japan with Love: A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur. ThingsAsian Press. pp. 127–. ISBN 978-1-934159-05-7. Retrieved 11 November 2011. 
5. ↑ "The History of Halloween". The History of Halloween. Retrieved October 22, 2010.