National Cotton Candy Day at Meadow Grove
June 12, 2020Grove City, Ohio - Wow! What an experience. The Activities Department at Meadow Grove made cotton candy today!! So many of the residents and staff mentioned that they hadn't had cotton candy since they were a kid - that's a little while for some of them!! But what a great way to reminisce about the good ole days. I'm sure there will be more sweet treats to come. In the meantime, enjoy the history and some facts about cotton candy.
The origins of cotton candy can be traced back centuries - all the way to Renaissance Italy. Back then, chefs melted and spun sugar manually. The process included them pulling the candy into thin strands using forks and draping it over broom handles. These hand-spun candies were not only labor-intensive but also expensive. However, the cotton candy we know and love today didn't make its debut till the 19th century. Who introduced this sugary treat? Believe it or not, a dentist named Dr. William Morrison created cotton candy. In 1897, Dr. Morrison teamed up with candy maker, John C. Wharton, and invented a machine that heated sugar in a spinning bowl, which had several tiny holes in it. The sugar in the hot, spinning bowl caramelized and made its way through the holes turning the melted sugar into light strands. They called this sugary treat "Fairy Floss." In 1904, the two inventors introduced their machine and fun snack at the St. Louis World's Fair and sold 68,000 boxes over six months for 25ยข each ($6.75 in today's money). The treat was so popular, a candy store purchased the electric machine and started selling the fairy floss just a year later. In 1949, Gold Medal Products created the first factory-made cotton candy machine. This helped cotton candy production become what it is today! Cotton candy is known and beloved around the world. In fact, the sugary snack has different names around the world.
- England: "Candy Floss"
- China: "Dragon's Beard"
- France: "Papa's Beard"
- Netherlands: "Sugar Spider"
- Greece: "Old Ladies' Hair"
- A thread of cotton candy is thinner than a human hair (this I can believe)
- The longest cotton candy was 1,400m long. This is about the length of 13 football fields! (this seems impossible)
- A typical bag of cotton candy contains less sugar and calories than a can of soda (and THIS.....WHAT??? sounds like a "fairy" tale)