(PCM) Maybe candy corn is not everyone’s favorite Halloween candy, but there is a pretty good chance that you will see this delightful little treat pop up quite a few times as we enter the Halloween season. Have you ever been curious as to where the origins of candy corn began or just why it has become the every popular Halloween treat, well, look no further because we are here to shed some light on the somewhat surprising history of these sweet little tri-colored nuggets.
The candy corn was first created by an employee of the Wunderlee Candy Company in Philadelphia, PA by the name of George Renniger. The Wunderlee Comany was the first company to sell candy corn commercially, however it was the Goelitz Confectionery Company that is attributed to really having the product take off in 1898. The Goelitz Confectionery Company later changed their name to Jelly Belly, a company any candy lover is certainly sure to recognize.
Candy Corn is a variation of mellow creme and the recipe is really quite simple. Sugar, corn syrup, water, and other ingredients were put into gigantic kettles that could hold up to 45lbs of mixture.This mixture is melted into liquid candy, called slurry, and is colored and run through a cornstarch molding process to create each kernel. Wooden trays filled with cornstarch are imprinted with rows of candy corn molds where the layers are individually deposited from bottom to top. So candy corn is actually created from bottom to top!
Candy corn was originally called “chicken feed”, however that name was not incredibly enticing to consumers, so it was later changed to the candy corn we all know and love today. While it used to be that candy corn was only available during Halloween, now due to its’ rise in popularity you can purchase variations of candy corn for other holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter, each with corresponding colors to match, for example red, green and white for Christmas, and pink, red, and white for Valentine’s Day.
A serving size of candy corn is about 22 pieces and contains 140 calories with zero fat. While it is made up of about all sugar, candy corn can still be a better choice than a couple of mini candy bars or other Halloween favorites that are high in both calories and in fat.