7 Interesting Facts About Cotton Candy

Cotton candy is one of the most well-known sweets in the world. It is made from spinning a sugar confection. The spun fibres are formed into a mass, which is looking cloud-like and resembles the texture of cotton. Due to its sweetness, it is consumed in small amounts and is commonly used in adding flavour and colour to food. The treat is made by heating and liquefying sugar, catching the heated strands with a stick and then slowly creating a mass of cloud as the sugar cools and resolidifies.

There are many interesting and fun facts about cotton candy. Here are some of the most popular trivia about the sweet treat.

Cotton candy was made by a dentist

As interesting as it can be, the first cotton candy was created by a dentist. In 1897, Nashville dentist Dr. William Morrison and a candy maker John C. Wharton worked together to be able to create a mechanical device that would make it possible to melt and crystallise sugar, creating fine threads of what we know now as the cotton candy.

There are different versions of the cotton candy around the globe

In addition to the usual cotton candy cloud mass that we all know, cotton candy is unique in some countries of the world. Iranian fairy floss is a type of cotton candy available in Persia or Iran. In fact, it is believed to be older than the cotton candy developed back in 1921. However, due to the popularity of the cotton candy developed in Nashville, the name fairy floss slowly faded, but was retained in some places like Iran and Australia.

Cotton Candy is known by many names

There are different types of cotton candy around the world. In the United States, it is commonly known as cotton candy. In some places like China, cotton candy is referred to as Dragon’s beard. In France, cotton candy goes by the name Daddy beard. In Australia and Iran, cotton candy is called fairy floss while in the Netherlands, it is referred to as sugar spider.

There is a national celebration for cotton candy

December 7 is the official day for cotton candy in the United States. This day was established as the National Cotton Candy Day. It is not celebrated as a festival since the Pearl Harbour attack also happened on this day. It is believed that the coincidence is a way of lightening the mood of the unfortunate day.

Cotton candy is a healthier sweet tooth treat

Cotton candy is made up of two ingredients, air and coloured sugar. There is no form or fat or oil in it and a cloud of cotton candy is less than the amount of sugar found in a 12 ounce can. The way that cotton candy is created makes it possible to have more air than sugar in it, allowing you to enjoy a lot of sweetness without having to worry about your sugar intake.

How thin are the strands of cotton candy

Another interesting fact about cotton candy is that its strands are just about the size of human hair. However, after exposing it to air, the melting process is quite fast and it can even go faster if you remove the air from the cloud mast.

Cotton candy was first sold in a fair

Cotton candy stands are common in fairs and parks. Interestingly, the first ever cotton candy sale happened during the 1904 St. Louis World Fair in America. A box of cotton candy was sold for 25 cents. During that period, 25 cents was already half the price of the admission ticket to the fair.