by Marcy L. Collier
In France, it’s called papa’s beard, in Germany, sugar wool, and in Great
Britain, candy floss. What is it?
I’ll give you a hint. You’ll find this sweet treat at an amusement park, county fair, or circus.
If you’ve guessed cotton candy, you’re right.
Two Nashville, Tennessee candy makers, William Morrison and John C.
Wharton, are most widely credited for the idea for cotton candy. In 1897, they
invented an electric machine to create their concept of spun sugar.
The machine was a heating device with a cylinder that ran down through
the center of a large spinning bowl. When sugar was added to a quarter-size
hole in the base of the machine, the sugar melted to liquid. In the liquid state,
the sugar was forced up through tiny slits on the sides of the cylinder. Once
the air hit, the melted sugar cooled and turned into tiny sugar threads, which
were weaved into the mass Morrison and Wharton called fairy floss. The term
cotton candy didn’t become popular until 1920.
This new candy was introduced at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition,
better know as the World’s Fair. The sweet treat sold for $.25 which was half of
the fair’s admission price. Vendors sold a whopping 68,655 servings.
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While demand grew for this new product, the original cotton candy
machine did not distribute the spun cotton evenly. This caused the equipment to rattle and often times break.
In 1949, Gold Medal of Cincinnati designed a machine that used springs,
which balanced the base as it spun and distributed the candy uniformly. This
new technology made the device run more efficiently and kept it from malfunctioning.
Through the years, Gold Medal has continued to make improvements and
sells almost one 100 percent of all cotton candy machines in the United
States.
A lot of money can be made selling cotton candy. Most vendors sell it for
a few dollars, while it costs only pennies to make. For less than 50 dollars,
you can buy a personal cotton candy machine and make the sweet snack at
home.
Would you believe cotton candy is made up of only one to two tablespoons of sugar? It’s true. And even though it’s made from all sugar, cotton
candy still contains less sugar and calories than a can of soda. Most vendors
add flavor and color for variety. The fluffy stuff even has its own holiday.
December 7th is known as National Cotton Candy Day.
So when you eat cotton candy, papa’s beard, or sugar wool, you’ll know
how it came about and why you can eat so much and still have room for a
funnel cake.
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