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December 19th is National Hard Candy Day; July 18th is National Sour Candy Day. National Candy Day is December 4th.
> See all the candy holidays below.
We’ve all had hard candy of some type: butterscotch, horehound drops, lemon drops, lollipops, mints, root beer barrels, sour balls, and fruit flavors galore.
Hard candy begins by boiling sugar and water, then adding flavors and colors. As the syrup boils, water evaporates, and the sugar concentration increases.
Who invented hard candy?
HARD CANDY HISTORY
Cavemen ate honey from beehives. Ancient Arabs, Chinese, and Egyptians rolled fruits and nuts in honey. That was it for many centuries.
In the Middle Ages, merchants brought sugar back from the Indian subcontinent, where sugar cane originated. But it was very costly. Whether for tea, baked goods, or confections, sugar was a treat for the wealthy. Honey was the sweetener available to those of lesser means.
By the 17th century, there were many more sugar mills, and sugar became more affordable to the middle class. Confectioners began to express their creativity, resulting in the large selection of hard candy we have today.
With the Industrial Revolution (1750 to 1850), candy-making developed into an industry and hard candies became accessible to everyone. Hard candy on a stick followed: The word “lollipop” (originally spelled lollypop) first appeared in print in 1784.
Here’s more about the manufacture of hard candy. Read it as you enjoy a piece.
Pick up a bag or two at the supermarket, or head to the candy store to customize a nostalgic selection.
Find our favorite candies in THE NIBBLE’s Gourmet Candy Section and by pulling down the “Gourmet Food” menu at the right.
THERE 50 NATIONAL CANDY HOLIDAYS!
Actually, since we’ve published this list there are now 60 candy holidays. Here’s the updated list.
January
January 3: National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
January 8: National English Toffee Day
January 10: National Bittersweet Chocolate Day
January 26: National Peanut Brittle Day
February
February 1: National Decorating With Candy Day
February 2: National Heavenly Hash Day
February 8: National Molasses Bar Day
February 11: National Peppermint Patty Day
February 15: National Gum Drop Day
February 19: National Chocolate Mint Day
February 15: National I Want Butterscotch Day
February 23: Tootsie Roll Day
February 25: National Chocolate Covered Nut Day
March
March 8: National Peanut Cluster Day
March 19: National Chocolate Caramel Day
March 24: National Chocolate-Covered Raisin Day
March 26: National Nougat Day
April
April 5: National Caramel Day
April 5: National Peeps Day
April 12: National Licorice Day
April 21: National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day
April 22: National Jelly Bean Day
May
May 2: National Truffle Day
May 4: National Candied Orange Peel Day
May 12: National Nutty Fudge Day
May 23: National Taffy Day
June
June: National Candy Month
June 24: National Pralines Day
June 16: National Fudge Day
July
July 7: National World Chocolate Day
July 15: National Gummi Worm Day
July 18: National Sour Candy Day
July 20: National Lollipop Day
July 28: National Milk Chocolate Day
August
August 30: National Toasted Marshmallow Day
September
September 14: National Gobstopper Day
September 22: National White Chocolate Day
October
October: National Caramel Month
October 12: National M&M Day
October 28: National Chocolate Day
October 30: National Candy Corn Day
October 31: National Caramel Apple Day
November
November 4: National Candy Day
November 7: National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
December
December 7: National Cotton Candy Day
December 16: National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
December 19: National Hard Candy Day
December 26: National Candy Cane Day
December 28: National Chocolate Candy Day
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[1] Head to the supermarket or candy store and pick up some hard candies (photo © Q Candy.
[2] Christmas hard candy, an old-fashioned gift available seasonally from Wisconsin Cheeseman.
Related Candy Holidays
[3] January 8th is National English Toffee Day (photo © Bakingdom [alas, now closed]).
[4] January 26th us National Peanut Brittle Day (photo © See’s Candies).
[5] February 15th is National I Want Butterscotch Day (photo © Taste Of Home).
[6] July 18th is National Candy Day. Sour balls and other penny candy became popular in the mid-1800s (photo © Boyd’s Retro Candy)[source].
[7] July 20th is National Lollipop Day (photo © Insung Yoon | Unspslash).
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