Candy Corn Was Originally Sold Under What Name?
We’re going to talk today about something that you either love or you hate. Candy corn is now a popular Halloween candy, but would you believe that it wasn’t meant to be a seasonal indulgence and had nothing to do with the spooky holiday? Candy corn actually had more to do with chickens than it did with Halloween or fall!
A Little Bit of Candy Corn History
Candy corn has been around for a long time, longer than anyone living could remember. It was invented in the 1880s by George Renninger at Wunderle Candy Company. Even though they can’t be credited with inventing the candy, Goelitz Candy Company (now called Jelly Belly Candy Company) is the company that popularized it and got the candy to sell in the late 1890s.
The candy was made during a time where about half of American workers were farmers and candy corn wasn’t the only agricultural candy on the market. Corn was one of many vegetables to be made into mellow crème candies; other famous shapes were pumpkins and turnips! While pumpkins and turnips were popular vegetables for food, corn was not. No one used corn to cook like they do today. Even during the wheat shortages, corn was still only a regular food for the poorest families. Corn was primarily used to feed chickens, so it makes sense that candy corn was originally named “chicken feed”.
Why is Candy Corn Associated with Halloween?
Candy corn was marketed as a “penny candy” (a candy that families could afford to purchase in bulk) that could be enjoyed year-round in the early 1900s. It wasn’t started as a Halloween or fall candy, it was enjoyed at all celebrations, even Easter! Around the 1950s, Halloween began using candies more often and people started using individually wrapped candies for trick-or-treaters. This is when candy corn evolved into the fall staple that we still enjoy. The candy was marketed more at Halloween than other candies and it just lost its place during the rest of the year.
How is Candy Corn Made?
Candy corn is still made about the same as it was way back when. The only difference is that there are now machines able to do the work. The candy itself is made with sugar, corn syrup, carnauba wax, and water. Fondant and marshmallow are added for a softer texture. Once the ingredients are all cooked down, the candy is added into cornstarch molds in three separate passes. One pass for the white. Another for the orange. The last pass is yellow. Once this is done and the candy is cooled, it is removed from the mold. A glaze is added to make sure the candy is shiny and it is packed up and ready to go.
Candy Corn Today
Candy corn, while still sold by Jelly Belly, is now mainly manufactured by Brach’s Confections. There are billions of pieces of candy corn sold every year. While Halloween is candy corn’s prime season, Candy companies have started making different colors and flavors to profit from the sweet treat year-round.