Cotton candy, also known as candy floss or fairy floss, is a spun sugary confection that resembles cotton. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar and spinning it to create the characteristic fluffy texture. But what ingredients actually go into making cotton candy? The answer may surprise you.
The Main Ingredients of Cotton Candy
While the name may conjure images of clouds made from cotton, the main ingredients of cotton candy are surprisingly simple – sugar and food coloring. The sugar used is usually granulated white sugar, sometimes mixed with corn syrup to help control crystallization. Food coloring is added to create the vibrant pink, blue, or other rainbow shades associated with cotton candy.
So if it’s just sugar, where does the name “cotton candy” come from? This confection gets its name from the unique spinning process used to make it. The sugar is heated to a molten state and spun rapidly through tiny holes in a rotating plate or bowl. As it spins through the air, the sugar cools and forms into a mass of thin, fine filaments that resemble cotton fibers or cotton batting.
The Origins of Cotton Candy
Cotton candy as we know it today has been around for over 100 years. Cotton candy was first introduced at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. A dentist named William Morrison, along with confectioner John C. Wharton, had invented an electric machine capable of spinning sugar. They displayed their new treat at the fair, introducing cotton candy to the public for the first time.
The fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth candy was an instant hit. Within a year, similar cotton candy machines were being sold to carnivals and boardwalks around the US. Cotton candy quickly became iconic carnival and fair food. The machines could effortlessly whip up huge batches of cotton candy on demand to hungry fairgoers.
How Is Cotton Candy Made?
While home cotton candy makers exist today, commercial cotton candy production still uses a similar process to the early machines. The main components of a cotton candy machine are:
- A spinning head or bowl that rotates at high speeds
- A heating element to melt the sugar
- Tiny holes or slots around the edge of the spinner
The sugar, either granulated or sometimes hard candy, is poured into the center of the spinning bowl. As the bowl rotates at high speed, centrifugal force pushes the sugar outward. The heating element liquifies the sugar as it approaches the rim. Finally, the liquefied sugar is spun through the tiny holes along the edge, creating thin strands of sugar that cool and solidify into a tangle of cotton-like fibers.
Cotton Candy Production Methods
There are a few different methods and machines used to make cotton candy:
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Bowl machines | Most common. Sugar is spun out through tiny holes in a rapidly rotating bowl |
| Cone machines | Sugar is spun out through tiny holes in a rotating cone |
| Plate machines | Sugar is spun through slots in a flat rotating plate |
| Rotating arm machines | Sugar strands are spun out from one or more rotating arms |
Bowl cotton candy machines are the most popular, but all these methods apply centrifugal force to spin melted sugar into thin strands and fibers.
What About the Grapes?
Now you may be wondering – what happened to the grapes? As it turns out, grapes actually have nothing to do with cotton candy ingredients or production. The title “What two grapes make cotton candy?” is just a play on words, evoking imagery of two grapes combining to make the fluffy cotton candy clouds.
There are no grapes used in the production of cotton candy. The name is a metaphor talking about the light, fluffy, cloud-like texture of cotton candy by comparing it to two grapes joining together. But cotton candy is made, as explained above, by simply spinning melted sugar into fine strands to achieve that soft, cottony texture.
Cotton Candy Variations
While cotton candy started as a carnival treat, today it comes in many fun flavors and variations:
Classic Cotton Candy
The original! Simple, fluffy spun sugar. Usually pink or blue.
Flavored Cotton Candies
Cotton candy infused with flavors like banana, bubblegum, chocolate, maple, orange, etc.
Rainbow Cotton Candy
Layers of different colored cotton candy stacked together.
Filled Cotton Candy
Cotton candy filled with chocolate, caramel, or other fillings.
Shaped Cotton Candies
Cotton candy molded into fun shapes instead of loose floss.
Cotton Candy Nutrition Facts
A typical serving (1 oz) of cotton candy contains:
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 105 |
| Carbohydrates | 26g |
| Sugar | 26g |
| Fat | 0g |
| Protein | 0g |
As you can see, cotton candy is pure sugary calories and carbohydrates. It contains no significant nutrients. The amount of actual sugar varies by brand, but averages around 95-98% sugar with the remainder being corn syrup, flavors, and food coloring.
The Popularity of Cotton Candy
While cotton candy originated as a carnival food, today it remains wildly popular at fairs, circuses, parades, and more. Cotton candy is fun, nostalgic treat that brings back childhood memories of magical county fairs and dazzling midways.
It also fits perfectly with entertainment venues – it’s affordable, conveniently pre-packaged, colorful, photogenic, and irresistible. Whole generations have memories of eagerly watching cotton candy being spun before their eyes into enormous, fluffy clouds.
Vendors love cotton candy too. The machines are inexpensive to buy and operate. The main ingredient, sugar, is cheap. And cotton candy is almost pure profit – bags weigh huge but sugar has almost no weight. Plus it takes just seconds to whip up a new bag.
Cotton Candy Business Statistics
- Annual cotton candy sales at fairs in North America: $200 million
- Most cotton candy is sold at entertainment venues, carnivals, circuses, and fairs.
- Single cotton candy vendors can sell over 1000 bags in a day at busy events.
- Cotton candy machines spin at rates of 3,000 – 7,200 RPM.
- Each machine can produce approximately 115 pounds of cotton candy per hour.
Cotton candy may seem like a nostalgic novelty, but it still drives major profits at fairgrounds, theme parks, and carnival midways.
Fun Facts About Cotton Candy
- Cotton candy is known as “candy floss” in many countries, like the UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.
- The largest cotton candy ever made weighed a whopping 228 pounds according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
- Cotton candy machines were originally called “fairy floss” machines.
- There is an annual National Cotton Candy Day on December 7th.
- Circus impresario Thomas Patton invented his own compact cotton candy machines in the 1900s to sell candy at his traveling circuses.
- Blue raspberry is the most popular cotton candy flavor.
- Cotton candy contains no actual cotton. It gets its name from the fluffy, cotton-like texture.
Conclusion
While grapes don’t actually go into cotton candy, this sweet treat does have a fascinating history. What started out over 100 years ago as spun sugar at a World’s Fair has become one of the most iconic and profitable treats at carnivals and fairs across the globe. The simple ingredients of sugar, corn syrup, and food coloring belie the delightful, nostalgic, and magically fluffy experience of eating cotton candy.