by Veronica
Commonly known as a sugar-filled delight, this tasty treat continues to surprise us with its unending evolution on its appearance and flavor. Although a larger variety of candies are offered in market today, we can still categorize these candies according to their types that could help us identify them easier. These are the general types of candies:
- Hard candy
This type of candy is usually sucked because the force required in breaking it is greater than the other types of candy. Chewing this type of candy is not advisable as you may break your teeth instead of the candy itself. Example of this type of candy are lollipops and jawbreakers. Aside from the hard candies, brittle candies such as the famous peanut brittle of Baguio fall under this category . It is crisp and could break easily.
- Soft candy
Unlike the hard candy, this is a chewable type of candy. It can be so soft that the pressure from your fingers could cut it. Its ingredients may include butter, chocolate, milk or other ingredient that could be used as a source of fat which can soften the sugar mixture of the candy and bind in the large crystal formation. Stirring is an important stage in manufacturing this type of candy so that finer crystals may be produced and the ingredients would be blended well to achieve its smooth and soft qualities.
- Aerated candies
In making this type of candy, incorporating air through beating is done to achieve its sponge-like and fluffy characteristics. Marshmallows and nougats are included in this category.
- Jellies, gums and Marzipans
This type of candy is considered to be part of another another group of candies. Although some may say that jellies, gums and marzipans should fall under the soft candy category due to its finished product qualities, experts say that the nature and method of manufacture of this type of candy is totally different from that of the soft candies. This type of candy is usually used as fillings and toppings.
- Glazed fruit candies
This type of candy uses fruit pulp and peel as its raw materials. It is famous among fruit cake makers.The plumping stage in this candy’s process is very important as the fruit absorbs the sugar from the syrup through the process of osmosis.
Source:
M. Gatchalian & S. De Leon. (1992). Introduction to Food Technology. Philippines: Merriam & Webster Bookstore, Inc.
