The reason I enjoy playing the ‘candy crush’ game is because I love the sight of the colourful boiled sweets that fill up the screen. One can almost taste the crunch as they collide and burst into smithereens! Boiled sweets are somewhat of an addiction for my mother and aunts, too. They never stop with one. They have been known on occasion to bargain with their grandkids for extras !
Long before sugar confectionery became so elaborate, it was the hard candy that was popular. They were bright blobs of clear candy that was simply twisted in transparent cellophane and sold individually or in large packets. They are also called boiled sweets because the process comprises of boiling sugar or glucose syrup until it reaches a particular temperature. A sugar thermometer is essential to get the consistency right. Once it reaches that stage, colours and flavours are added. Skilled candy makers have perfected the art after years of practice. In the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , MissTruly Scrumptious and her beau desperately try to market their hard candy! The toot sweets, as they are called, add much delight to the story as they always end up with a hole in the middle, making them far from perfect.
Boiled sweets are usually made with real fruit extract, which is why they leave a burst of freshness in the mouth . A simple example of our locally made hard candy are the orange sweets. Orange mittai makes an appearance without fail during most festivals. This yellow and orange coloured hard candy that is shaped like orange segments is a special part of the pongal festivities. Sometimes, these sweets are offered along with the other items such as sandalwood paste and vermillion powder. Even the cows get their share on mattu pongal day! On a recent trip abroad we came across packets of hard candy that excited, bedazzled and tempted us with their vivid colours and intricate patterns. These short cylindrical candies are called rock confectionery. So we have heart rock, mixed fruit rock, smiley rock, seaside rock, etc. They all taste delicious. They are rather tiny in size but more than make up for it in taste. The centre holds the maximum flavour. You get an unmistakable burst of lemon or strawberry or watermelon and then it just lingers on your tongue. It is very cleansing on the palate and makes for the perfect after meal treat. The candy is made by rolling the still warm sugar into a long tube and quickly cut when still soft. As it cools it hardens into crunchy nuggets. These need to be stored in an airtight container. Otherwise they become sticky and clump together.
Sugar free versions of the hard candy are also available. These are made using an ingredient called isomalt and sweetened further by adding a sugar substitute. The isomalt replicates the effect of the boiled sugar. It is used extensively by professional pastry chefs and cake decorators to fashion edible jewels, crystals and other intricate sugar work.
Hard candy may not be occupying pride of place on our supermarket shelves but there are many on line stores selling them in plenty both in India and abroad.
Whether it’s the simple cherry candy and orange sweets or fashioning your own rock candy, they are all available at the click of a button. Did you know that these candies originally made it’s entry in the form of cough drops?
It was easier to take in the medicine when there was some sugar added to it. Now we know what Mary Poppins meant when she sang, “A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down…”
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