Cotton candy

Cotton candy
Spinning cotton candy at a fair
Alternative namesCandy floss (candyfloss), fairy floss
TypeConfectionery
Place of originUnited States
Created byWilliam Morrison and John C. Wharton
Main ingredientsSugar, food coloring

Cotton candy, also known as candy floss (candyfloss) and fairy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring.[1]

It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifugally through minute holes, causing it to rapidly cool and re-solidify into fine strands.[2] It is often sold at fairs, circuses, carnivals, and festivals, served in a plastic bag, on a stick, or on a paper cone.[3][4][5]

It is made and sold globally, as candy floss in the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, New Zealand,[6] Sri Lanka and South Africa, as fairy floss in Australia, as barbe à papa "daddy's beard" in France, as شعر البنات "girl's hair" in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as غزل البنات "girl’s yarn" in Egypt.[7] Similar confections include Korean kkul-tarae and Iranian pashmak.

  1. ^ Swarns, Rachel L. (July 27, 2014). "In Coney Island, Weaving a Confection That Tastes Like Long-Ago Summers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  2. ^ "Food Science: Cotton Candy". Portageinc.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  3. ^ "Best Of Worst -- July 4th Foods". cbsnews.com. July 1, 2008. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2009. Cotton Candy (1.5 oz serving) 171 calories, 0 g fat, 45 g carbs, 45 g sugar, 0 g protein
  4. ^ Carter, Darla (August 21, 2009). "Enjoy the fair, but don't wreck your diet". Louisville Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2009. A 5½-ounce bag of cotton candy can have 725 calories.
  5. ^ "Cotton candy on a stick (about 1 ounce) has 105 calories, but when bagged (2 ounces) it has double that number: 210". Pocono Record. September 27, 2006. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  6. ^ "Candy Floss vs Cotton Candy". SugarStand.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Untold Truth of Cotton Candy". Grunge. April 4, 2017. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2019.