Cotton candy is the most amazing form of caramelization ever invented by man.
– Jose Andres
There exists in the world small clouds of utter delight, floating multicolored strands of spun-sugar all wrapped around a stick or served in a bag. Everything from the machine the produces this treat, to the men and women who operate it, and the very flavor it leaves in your mouth is purely magical. When a treat has gained notoriety around the world and utterly defines what it means to attend a country fair, you know that it deserves a holiday of its very own. That’s where Cotton Candy Day comes in, celebrating this best of the bestest treats!
History of Cotton Candy Day
The history of Cotton Candy Day is, quite simply, the history of cotton candy itself, and to find that history we’re going to have to dig a bit deeper than you might imagine. Unsurprising considering the number of names that the treat itself is known by, including candy cobwebs, hawai mithai, candy floss, and our personal favorite, fairy floss. So what are the origins of this treat? Well, it all depends on who you ask.
Cotton Candy is often suggested to have come into existence as a form of spun sugar in 19th century Europe, and back then it would have been as precious as gold. While today’s technology allows us to produce cotton candy with a simple machine and a little time, the process would have been incredibly labor intensive and no doubt expensive, leaving Cotton Candy as the treat of the financial elite. Unsurprising considering that it was hand-spun at the time… Yes, you heard that right, by hand.
In 1897 the world of spun-sugar came to the masses when John C. Wharton and a dentist friend of his William Morrison (we’ll let you take a moment to suck in that irony) created a machine to make Cotton Candy and presented it at the 1904 World’s Fair. Since then it has exploded throughout the world and can be found in almost every culture you can imagine, from America to the Distant East.
How to celebrate Cotton Candy Day
Celebrate Cotton Candy Day by getting your favorite flavor and sharing it with friends. Ok, we’re just kidding, don’t share it, just eat it up until you can’t eat another bite, and write your dentist an apology note. Or, given that a dentist invented it, perhaps it’s you who deserves the apology note, hmm?
