All the fun about sweet cotton wool

It is fluffy, bright, airy and tasty. And she is a favorite delicacy of adults and children. You already guessed that we are talking about sweet cotton wool. Probably, you are still fascinated by the process of making this product. We all saw how it was done when we were children. We all did eyes of astonishment when a huge air mass swelled from one small sugar lump. But, as adults, we still perceive this as a magical trick. Why does cotton candy have an airy texture and why does it have different shades? Here are some interesting facts from the history of the popular delicacy.

Two main secrets

Despite the fact that the product is almost 100 percent sugar, it has a lot of admirers. Blame everything - a whole bunch of unique flavors and surprisingly delicate texture. If you fill this cotton texture with milk, strawberry, vanilla or grape syrup, you will get a real confectionery miracle at the outlet. By popularity, sweet cotton wool is several times superior to caramel, chocolate sweets and biscuits. Perhaps, in the world you will not find a more starry delicacy.

The first appearance in society

For the first time, the sweet cotton wool was introduced at the World Exhibition in St. Louis in 1904. Eyewitnesses did not remember other inventions. One of them was so cunning that immediately attracted attention. Before people appeared a metal drum, which very quickly rotated due to centrifugal force. When a lightly melted piece of sugar was placed in the container, magic began. The simple ingredient turned into thin long threads, which gradually gathered in a ball. Interlaced with the air layer, the sugar was stretched and formed a lot of sticky fibers. To give the resulting form to the canvas, the master armed himself with a stick and rolled the threads into a cone. As they say, all ingenious is simple.

Many names

In different countries of the world this delicacy is called differently. For example, in Italy it is "sugar yarn", and in China and Japan - "old woman's hair". The French call cotton candy a "grandfather's beard," and somewhere it's called a "tooth fairy."

Who invented the apparatus for the production of sweet cotton wool?

Ironically, the inventor of the product was a dentist named William Morrison, who once volunteered to help his friend, confectioner John Wharton.

Medieval confectioners made dessert by hand

Since the 15th century, the best European confectioners have tried to make a delicacy. The process was so laborious that only the most distinguished and wealthy members of society could afford "sugar yarn". Just imagine that each fiber from the melted sugar in the saucepan was stretched by hand using forks! We can assume that the invention of William Morrison gave way to the product in the broad masses.

A bright hit at fairs and carnivals

Traditionally, from the moment of its appearance, airy delicacy was sold at mass sports events, carnivals and fairs. Modern versions provide bright colors, which are achieved through dyes.