Cotton candy: The history of its appearance. Who Invented Cotton Candy? Who Invented Cotton Candy

04.10.2021

Cotton candy is one of the favorite treats for children and adults at any holiday, fair or amusement park. But many do not know the history of this sweet and airy product.

The history of cotton candy goes back to the distant 15th century. There are stories (legends) that the ancient Romans had people who knew how to make such sweets. If there is any truth to this story, it makes cotton candy one of the many arts (technologies) lost during the Middle Ages. Once again this art appeared (or for the first time) in the middle of the 18th century. But the manufacturing process was manual, extremely laborious, as a result of which cotton wool was expensive and therefore inaccessible to the common man. In the East, there are similar confections such as the Persian Pashmak and the Turkish Pişmaniye, although the latter is made with flour in addition to sugar.

In 1897, William James Morrison, former president of the Tennessee Dental Association, created a machine capable of producing fluffy strands of crystal sugar (the dentist with a degree also wrote several children's books and invented a replacement for cottonseed oil fat). But Morrison didn't pull this sweet treat out of thin air - cotton candy's predecessor was popular in 15th century Italy. To create this delicacy, the caramelized crystals can be fluffed up with a fork or whisk. As a result, thin sticks, sweets, sculptural figures are obtained, which were used to decorate the table or even became part of the interior. During the time of Henry III of France, a banquet was held in Venice, where pieces of furniture and paintings were created from molded sugar. In an age of decadence, when high sugar prices plummeted, the sweet treat became more common. And in the late 1800s, several cookbooks even included instructions on how to turn ordinary sugar into a special treat. As explained in a treatise on the art of boiling sugar, published in London in 1884, “spun sugar can also be cooked in vases, vessels, etc., separate parts can be prepared and then glued together with a small amount of sugar used in the process. ". It was the most complex and most interesting element of confectionery art.

Then there were machines that cooked unkempt chunks of puff sugar. Patented in 1897 by Morrison and John Wharton, the devices consisted of rotating plates that were set in motion by the feet and heated by a coal or oil lamp. Using centrifugal force, the machine expelled crystalline sugar from a hot plate through a series of small holes to form "thread sugar or silk threads". The patent application stated that the purpose of the invention was to obtain a food product consisting of strands of melted sugar, or candy. Very soon, the inventors put their business on stream and, despite the high price for those times, their products were a resounding success, which they still enjoy. By the way, the process of making cotton candy has not changed much to this day.
In different countries, cotton candy is called differently: for example, in America - “cotton sweetness” (сotton candy), in Italy - “sugar yarn” (zucchero filato), in Germany - “sugar wool” (Zuckerwolle), in England - "Magic silk thread" (fairу floss), in France - "grandfather's beard" (barbe a papa).

The French loved this tasty treat so much that they even made an unusual cotton candy flavored vodka called Cotton Candy Liqueur.

When the crusaders came to the Middle East, they got hooked on one local drug. The drug was called sugar. Its production from sugarcane juice was mastered in India and Baghdad. Sugar seemed to the invaders from Europe an unprecedented miracle. He was sweeter than honey! And it was cheap! Almost always, these armored men held a white little piece of happiness behind their cheeks.

When the crusaders were driven back to Europe, sugar left with them. It became an integral part of European cuisines, but was expensive because it was imported from the same East. Sugarcane in Europe could not grow even in hot Spain. But when the Spaniards discovered the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, they planted them with sugar cane and began to get "their" sugar. Portugal, establishing colonies on the African coast, also began to cultivate sugar cane in them. After the development of America, sugar made from cane became one of the main colonial goods. Then, from the same sugarcane juice, fermenting it, they learned to make rum. But that is another story. Probably more fun.

However, the culinary history of sugar is also wonderful, and also joyful. Because sugar brings joy and fun. Everyone knows this. That is why the Crusaders “hooked” on it a long time ago. That is why children are terribly fond of sweets.

One of the delicacies from which they literally “burn out” is cotton candy. When I see children at some holiday devouring huge lumps of cotton candy, at first I feel sick: why so much sugar? Then I remember that a large piece of cotton candy is made from just a teaspoon of sugar syrup and a small amount of food coloring, I calm down. The faces of the children sparkling with pleasure inspire joy, and the business sense of the sellers who manage to sell a spoonful of sugar syrup at a price ten times higher is respected.

True, some equipment is required to make a treat. A heated metal cup with small holes in the side wall, mounted on an electric motor shaft. Sugar syrup with dye is poured into a glass, the heater and the electric motor are turned on. Centrifugal force pushes the syrup through small holes, and it solidifies in the form of colored thin threads. These threads are immediately collected on a stick or on a paper tube, and - rejoice, kids!

An apparatus for the production of cotton candy does not cost a penny at all. But the production of cotton candy is advertised on many Russian-language sites as a good small business. Investments are small, and the market is huge and insatiable. Moreover, for their beloved children and at the holiday, parents will always buy such cheap stuff as cotton candy.

The electric cotton candy machine was invented in 1897 by two inventors, a dentist William J. Morrison (1860-1926) and confectioner, candy maker, John C. Wharton. Morrison and Warton lived in Nashville, Tennessee.

Characteristically, one of the inventors of the cotton candy machine was a dentist. As you know, people in this profession usually do not encourage children to consume too much sugar. It should not be assumed that William Morrison counted on an increase in the number of young visitors to his office. It seems that his participation in the invention should be considered the approval of the product. Cotton candy won't harm baby teeth! In fact, how much of this sugar is there!

As expected in America, the invention was patented in 1899. The first tests of this device took place at the World Exhibition of 1900 in Paris. And the peak load of the cotton candy machine was experienced in 1904 during the next World's Fair, which took place in St. Louis. Then 68 thousand boxes of cotton candy were sold at 25 cents per box. It was then that the delicacy began to be called "exhibition silk" ("fairy floss"). By the way, the entrance ticket to the exhibition then cost 50 cents. And the very next year, a machine for making cotton candy was in almost every candy store, and a bag of colored cotton candy cost 5-10 cents.

In the 1940s, a machine was invented that not only made cotton candy, but also packaged it. In 1970, the process was fully automated, and cotton candy began to be bought in ordinary stores, and not just on holidays. Here, of course, the Chinese intervened and came up with many ways to color cotton candy to make the product even more attractive, and most importantly, even cheaper. So on most bags of cotton candy that are sold in stores, you can now find the inscription "Made in China". And who would have doubted!

Cotton candy is one of the most popular sweets around the world. In America, it was nicknamed "cotton sweetness" (cotton candy), in England - "magic silk thread" (fairу floss), in Germany - "sugar wool" (Zuckerwolle), in Italy - "sugar yarn" (zucchero filato), in France - "grandfather's beard" (barbe a papa).

Despite legends that sweets like cotton candy were produced in ancient Rome, but were extremely expensive due to the complexity of production, no evidence of this has been found. but it is documented that the date of birth of cotton candy is 1893. It was in this year that William Morrison and John C. Wharton invented the cotton candy machine. This is evidenced by US patent No. 618428, the filing date of the application for which (12/23/1897) is considered the date of the invention of the cotton candy apparatus.

The method of production and the installation itself are simple, almost to the point of genius. The molten sugar heated by a gas burner, located in a rotating container, was forced through a series of small holes or a grid on the periphery of this container due to centrifugal force. Picked up by the air stream from the compressor, thin streams of molten sugar instantly crystallized in the form of thin threads, similar to cotton wool or wool, and were collected by the operator on a wooden or cardboard stick in the form of a ball. The rotation of the sugar container and the air compressor was carried out using a foot drive, similar to the drives of sewing machines.

To familiarize the public with the new product, the inventors chose the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, otherwise known as the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, in the materials of which it was recorded that the Electric Candy Company made $17,164 by selling 68,655 boxes of cotton candy (370 boxes for each day of the show) at a price of 25 cents.

Named Fairy Floss by the inventors and packaged in colorful wooden boxes, the new product was hugely popular despite the high price tag for the time. Suffice it to say that the entrance ticket to this fair, with access to all its attractions, cost 50 cents, and some department stores of that time advertised men's shirts for 25 cents.

Virtually all sources claim that the cotton candy sold at the St. Louis World's Fair was made on electric machines, and that Morrison and Wharton are the inventors of the electric machine for its production. But in patent #618428 there is no hint of the use of electricity, neither as heating nor as a drive. The thing is that by 1904 the apparatus had been significantly improved, including electrical heating.

As often happens, the tandem of cotton candy inventors, however, as well as their Electric Candy Company, did not last long. The reason for their break is unknown to me, but Morrison received the next US patent No. 816114 in March 1906 himself. The company was divided, renamed, but existed. Here is an advertisement for products from the Electric Candy Floss Machine Company, Inc. from the middle of the 20th century.

More than a hundred years have passed since the invention of the apparatus for the production of cotton candy. Although the principle of making cotton candy has not changed much, the technique and technology have gone far ahead compared to the first machines. This is not surprising, because. this type of business has gone very far from fair tents, turning into a whole area of \u200b\u200bthe food industry. However, even now, somewhere with a mass gathering of people, you can see a cotton candy seller with his apparatus, surrounded by children and their parents. Someone starts their own business in this way, someone remembers their childhood, and someone just enjoys life.

Cotton candy is one of the most popular sweets around the world. In America, it was nicknamed “cotton sweetness” (cotton candy), in England - “magic silk thread” (fairу floss), in Germany - “sugar wool” (Zuckerwolle), in Italy - “sugar yarn” (zucchero filato), in France - "grandfather's beard" (barbe a papa).
Despite legends that sweets like cotton candy were produced in ancient Rome, but were extremely expensive due to the complexity of production, no evidence of this has been found. but it is documented that the date of birth of cotton candy is 1893. It was in this year that William Morrison and John C. Wharton invented the cotton candy machine. This is evidenced by US patent No. 618428, the filing date of the application for which (12/23/1897) is considered the date of the invention of the cotton candy apparatus.
The method of production and the installation itself are simple, almost to the point of genius. The molten sugar heated by a gas burner, located in a rotating container, was forced through a series of small holes or a grid on the periphery of this container due to centrifugal force. Picked up by the air stream from the compressor, thin streams of molten sugar instantly crystallized in the form of thin threads, similar to cotton wool or wool, and were collected by the operator on a wooden or cardboard stick in the form of a ball. The rotation of the sugar container and the air compressor was carried out using a foot drive, similar to the drives of sewing machines.
To familiarize the public with the new product, the inventors chose the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, otherwise known as the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, in the materials of which it was recorded that the Electric Candy Company made $17,164 by selling 68,655 boxes of cotton candy (370 boxes for each day of the show) at a price of 25 cents.
Named Fairy Floss by the inventors and packaged in colorful wooden boxes, the new product was hugely popular despite the high price tag for the time. Suffice it to say that the entrance ticket to this fair, with access to all its attractions, cost 50 cents, and some department stores of that time advertised men's shirts for 25 cents.
Virtually all sources claim that the cotton candy sold at the St. Louis World's Fair was made on electric machines, and that Morrison and Wharton are the inventors of the electric machine for its production. But in patent #618428 there is no hint of the use of electricity, neither as heating nor as a drive. The thing is that by 1904 the apparatus had been significantly improved, including electrical heating.
As often happens, the tandem of cotton candy inventors, however, as well as their Electric Candy Company, did not last long. The reason for their break is unknown to me, but Morrison received the next US patent No. 816114 in March 1906 himself. The company was divided, renamed, but existed. Here is an advertisement for products from the Electric Candy Floss Machine Company, Inc. from the middle of the 20th century.
More than a hundred years have passed since the invention of the apparatus for the production of cotton candy. Although the principle of making cotton candy has not changed much, the technique and technology have gone far ahead compared to the first machines. This is not surprising, because. this type of business has gone very far from fair tents, turning into a whole area of \u200b\u200bthe food industry. However, even now, somewhere with a mass gathering of people, you can see a cotton candy seller with his apparatus, surrounded by children and their parents. Someone starts their own business in this way, someone remembers their childhood, and someone just enjoys life.