Holidays

Candy Canes

Holidays
Candy Canes
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Did you know? In the 1800s, candy canes were sometimes used as ornaments to decorate Christmas trees, but people were actually expected to eat them after the holiday. elaborate

Fact 1 of 24

24 facts about Candy Canes

  1. 1
    Sugar can reach temperatures of over 300 degrees Fahrenheit during the boiling process, which is hot enough to cause severe burns if handled incorrectly before cooling.
  2. 2
    Because of their high surface area, thin candy canes can actually act as a natural humidity sensor; if they get sticky, it means the air in your room is very damp.
  3. 3
    Many people incorrectly assume that the original candy canes were peppermint, but early versions were actually flavored with simple aromatics like lemon or floral oils.
  4. 4
    The white color in a candy cane comes from the mechanical process of stretching and pulling the sugar, which folds tiny air bubbles into the mixture.
  5. 5
    Some people believe that the candy cane represents a shepherd's crook, but there is no historical documentation to support this religious origin.
  6. 6
    A candy cane is actually a structural feat of physics because it must be bent while warm but remain rigid enough to hold its shape once it returns to room temperature.
  7. 7
    Candy canes are produced by pulling a large mass of boiled sugar which aligns the sucrose molecules, giving the candy its signature snap.
  8. 8
    Although we think of them as red and white, you can find candy canes in almost every color of the rainbow, often matching their artificial fruit flavors.
  9. 9
    There is a specific technique for pulling candy that incorporates air bubbles into the sugar, which gives the finished cane its slightly opaque, shiny look.
  10. 10
    While we associate them with Christmas, candy canes were originally sold as simple treats year-round in many European confectioneries.
  11. 11
    The 'hard crack' stage of candy making occurs at roughly 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which allows the sugar to become brittle once it cools down.
  12. 12
    Some dentists actually enjoy candy canes because they are eaten quickly compared to chewy candies that stick to your teeth for hours.
  13. 13
    Candy canes are considered a type of hard candy, which is made by boiling sugar and corn syrup to a very high temperature known as the hard crack stage.
  14. 14
    The red stripes on a mass-produced candy cane are actually created by applying thin strips of colored sugar to the main log before it is pulled and twisted.
  15. 15
    If you lick a candy cane long enough, it becomes sharp enough to be a tiny, sugary toothpick, though it will break if you try to use it for anything serious.
  16. 16
    Because candy canes are mostly just sugar, they can theoretically last for years if you keep them in a cool, dry place away from humidity.
  17. 17
    In the 1800s, candy canes were sometimes used as ornaments to decorate Christmas trees, but people were actually expected to eat them after the holiday.
  18. 18
    There is a rumor that the 'J' shape was intended to stand for Jesus, but historians have found no evidence of this meaning until the 1900s.
  19. 19
    Candy canes are extremely hygroscopic, meaning they will absorb moisture from the air and eventually turn into a sticky, melty mess if left out.
  20. 20
    Many people believe that the red stripes represent the blood of Christ, but this is a modern interpretation that appeared long after the candy was already popular.
  21. 21
    Peppermint oil, the classic flavor of candy canes, was originally used in medicine to help soothe upset stomachs.
  22. 22
    A candy cane machine works like a giant taffy puller, stretching the sugar into long ropes to get the right texture.
  23. 23
    The original candy canes were completely straight white sugar sticks and did not have the signature red stripes.
  24. 24
    While many believe candy canes were invented to look like a shepherd's crook to represent the Christmas story, there is no historical evidence to support this, and it is likely just a sweet folklore tale.
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