I recently posted that question on social media and it’s amazing how passionate people are either way. One is definitely a Candy Corn lover or hater. I personally LOVE Candy Corn. It’s hands down my favorite traditional Halloween treat. Amazingly I don’t even like Halloween though, and I don’t enjoy having to dress up in a costume. But give me Candy Corn and I’m a happy camper. In fact, I love all things Candy Corn as you’ll see in the photos I’ve included here.
You are undoubtedly seeing the traditional triangular-shaped treats with their iconic white, orange, and yellow pattern on every store shelf this time of year. Candy Corn has become synonymous with Halloween but that wasn’t always the case.
Candy Corn’s history dates back to the 1880s when George Renninger, an employee of the Wunderle Candy Company in Philadelphia, came up with the idea of molding butter cream into the shape of a corn kernel. The exact recipe is unknown, although it’s suspected the main ingredients were butter cream, sugar, and corn syrup, meaning Candy Corn does indeed contain “corn” in at least some form! At the time corn was an American staple in feeding both families and livestock and its target market was agricultural and rural families. In fact, the treat’s original name was “chicken feed!”
Much like the above fun cereal treats, Renninger’s creation could be molded into any shape, with chestnuts, turnips, and peapods being some of the first options before today’s shape took hold. Candy Corn’s chewy substance is generally made from sugar, egg whites, and ground almonds and being that it had limited availability due to the amount of labor it took to make, it became forever linked as a harvest and fall-time treat. It was only natural that its association with Halloween would happen.
Jelly Belly, then known as the Goelitz Confectionary Company, is credited with popularizing the Candy Corn more than a century ago when it began making the candy in its Cincinnati factory in 1898 using the original recipe to create the tri-color candy. How its made has changed dramatically however.
The confection took off but being that its three distinct stripes were painstakingly poured by hand, demand was hard to keep up with. Originally, workers had to carry 45 pounds of sugar and corn syrup down a conveyor belt laden with candy trays. They then had to pass the streamers over the trays so the liquid could drip into the molds, repeating the process with each color to make a single piece of candy consisting of its signature signature white tip, orange middle, and yellow tip. Not only did this require strength and endurance, it was very time-consuming.
Thankfully, America’s factory economy took off and now equipment does most of the work. An estimated 17,000 tons or 35 million pounds of the seasonal staple are produced annually using a recipe that hasn’t changed much over the years. Jelly Belly alone makes 9 billion kernels every year!
So, what does Candy Corn taste like and what is it supposed to taste like? That’s a matter of personal palate but according to Jelly Belly the main flavors are rich marshmallow and warm vanilla. As for the texture, which is critical to me in any food, Candy Corn is meant to be creamy and smooth.
Another fun side of Candy Corn is the fact that you can teach young kids the concept of The Holy Trinity with it in that even though it’s made up of three parts, it’s one candy. Love it.
As with anything, Candy Corn has morphed into more than its original form, including red and green “Reindeer Corn” and pink and red “Cupid Corn.” Yes, I would probably eat those, but being the traditionalist that I am, I pretty much stick to the white, orange, and yellow originals. I don’t even like the ones that have a chocolate-flavored brown portion. I do, however, love the pumpkin shaped candies.
What about you? Do you love or hate Candy Corn? What is your favorite Halloween treat?
Who knew those little white, orange, and yellow candies had such a long and storied history. I for one will be buying some and invite you to join me as we celebrate National Candy Corn Day on October 30. I might even polish my nails!
Beyond Words 