Candy Bites

This delicious new book reveals the fascinating science behind some of our favorite candies. If you’ve ever wondered how candy corn is made or whether Baby Ruth bars really float, as in the movie Caddy shack, then this engaging collection of food for thought is guaranteed to satisfy your hunger for knowledge. As well as delving into candy facts and myths such as the so-called ‘sugar high’ and the long history of making sweetmeats, the authors explore the chemistry of a candy store full of famous treats, from Tootsie Rolls to Pixy Styx and from Jawbreakers to Jordan Almonds. They reveal what makes bubble gum bubbly and why a Charleston Chew is so chewy.

Written in an engaging, accessible and humorous style that makes you laugh as you learn, Candy Bites doesn’t shy away from the hard facts or the hard questions, about candy. It tackles the chemistry of hydrocolloids in gummy bears alongside the relationship between candy and obesity and between candy and dental cavities. The chapters open a window on the commercial and industrial chemistry of candy manufacture, making this book a regular Pez dispenser of little-known, yet captivating factoids.

Through a Candy Store Window.- All Candy Expo.- Art or Science – A Brief History of Candy.- Candy Companies Big and Small.- Sugar History and Production.- The Demon Sugar.- The Sweet Tooth.- Soft Ball to Hard Crack.- Breakaway Glass – A Soft Solid.- Cotton Candy.- Rock Candy.- Candy Doctors.- LifeSavers or Jolly Ranchers.- Candy Canes – the Science Experiment.- Sponge Candy or Fairy Foam.- Dum Dum Lollipops.- Cut Rock.- Sugar-Free Candy.- Pixy Styx and Fun Dip.- Pez.- Fizzies.- NECCO Wafers and Conversation Hearts.- Wint-O-Green Mints.- Peppermint Patties.- Junior Mints.- Candy Corn.- Maple Sugar Candies – a Natural Treat?.- Caramel – Controlled Scorching of Milk?.- A Caramel Family.- Caramel Cold Flow.- Tootsie Roll Pops.- Cajeta.- The Fudge Factor.- English Toffee.- Gummies and Jellies.- The Starch Mogul.- Swedish Fish and Starch Jelly Candies.- Dots and Orange Slices.- Gummy Jigglers.- Black Chuckles.- Fruit Snacks.- Sour Patch Candy.- Where to the Jelly Beans in the Easter Basket Come From?.- Jelly Bean Flavor Development.- Panning Patience.-  Everlasting Gobstoppers and Atomic Fireballs.- Runts and Nerds.-  Is Licorice Good For You?.- Licorice Varieties.- The Marsh Mallow.- Nougat.- Starburst.- A Whopper of a Story – Malted Milk Balls.- Retro Candy: Bit-O-Honey and Mary Jane.- Gum Wads.-  Gumballs.- Gum and the Bedpost.- Medicinal Gum.- The Vending Machine.- Snickers Bars.- Baby Ruth.- Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut.- Turtles or Cow Pies?.- Candies: Dead or Alive.- Super-sized Candies.- Goo Goo Cluster.- Candy Land.