Cotton candy

Cotton candy is a sweet treat.

It looks like soft cotton. It is made by melting sugar. The sugar spins through tiny holes. It cools into thin strands.

People add colors to it. It can be pink or blue. You can eat it on a stick. You can also find it in bags. Many people buy it at fairs. It is a fun snack to share!

Cotton candy is a light and sweet treat. It looks like soft clouds of cotton.

People call it candy floss in the United Kingdom. In Australia, it is known as fairy floss.

Making this candy is a neat way to use heat. A machine melts sugar in a small bowl. The spinning bowl pushes the liquid sugar through tiny holes. As the sugar hits the air, it cools fast. It turns into many thin, sweet strands.

An operator then twirls a stick or a cone. They catch the sugar web to make a treat.

Sugar is naturally white. But makers add food coloring to make it bright. Many people love pink vanilla or blue raspberry flavors.

You can find it at fairs, circuses, or festivals. Some people eat it from a plastic bag. Others enjoy it on a paper cone. In the United States, people celebrate National Cotton Candy Day on December 7. It is a fun snack that brings people together at big events.

Cotton candy is a light and sweet treat that looks like soft clouds.

Many people call it candy floss in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In Australia, it is known as fairy floss. You can also find similar treats like Chinese longxusu or Korean versions. People often eat this snack at fairs, circuses, or big festivals. It is usually served on a stick, a paper cone, or in a plastic bag. This sweet treat is loved by people all over the world.

Making this candy is a very interesting way to use heat and motion.

First, a maker pours colored sugar into a small bowl. Heaters near the rim melt the sugar into a liquid. A spinning head then pushes the liquid through tiny holes using centrifugal force. This force throws the sugar out into the air where it cools fast. The sugar turns into many thin, sweet strands that look like a web. An operator twirls a stick around the bowl to catch the strands.

Spun sugar has a long history that goes back many years. Some say spun sugar started in Italy as early as the 15th century. In the 1800s, it was a very expensive treat in Europe. Two men, William Morrison and John C. Wharton, invented a machine for it in 1897. They showed it at the 1904 World's Fair as "Fairy Floss." It was a huge success there. They sold 68,655 boxes for 25 cents each.

Many different machines have helped people make this candy over time.

In 1905, Albert D. Robinson patented an electric machine with a motor. Later, in 1921, Joseph Lascaux invented a machine and named it "cotton candy." In the 1970s, makers created an automatic machine to package the candy. Today, some large machines can spin at 3,450 revolutions per minute. These machines can hold a lot of sugar to make many treats.

Cotton candy is famous for its bright colors and fun flavors.

While sugar is naturally white, makers add dyes to change the color. Two popular flavors are pink vanilla and blue raspberry. In the United States, people celebrate National Cotton Candy Day on December 7. You might even see these flavors in ice cream or gum. It is a sweet way to remember fun times at a carnival.

Cotton candy is a spun sugar confection that creates a light, airy texture.

It is known by many names depending on where you live. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, it is called candy floss. In Australia, people call it fairy floss. While it is a global treat, it shares similarities with other confections like the Chinese longxusu or various Korean and Iranian versions. People often enjoy this snack at festivals, circuses, or carnivals. It is typically served on a stick, a paper cone, or inside a plastic bag.

The production of cotton candy relies on a specific mechanical process.

A maker starts by pouring granulated, colored sugar into a small sugar reserve bowl. This bowl is located inside a spinning head. Heaters near the rim of the head melt the sugar into a liquid state. As the head spins, centrifugal force—the force that pushes objects outward during rotation—squeezes the molten sugar through tiny holes. Once the liquid sugar hits the air, it cools rapidly and re-solidifies into extremely fine, sweet strands. These strands form a web-like structure that is caught in a larger surrounding bowl. An operator then twirls a stick or cone around the rim to gather the sugar into a portion.

To make the process work, the type of sugar used is very important. Makers often use specially milled sugar optimized for the heating process. The crystal size must be just right for the heated holes. If the crystals are too fine, like some baking sugars, they might spin out before melting. If the crystals are too large, such as rock sugar, they cannot contact the heater properly. This can slow down the entire production. Because the final product is very sensitive to humidity, the process can become messy and sticky in humid summer weather.

Spun sugar has a long history that has evolved from a luxury to a mass-produced treat.

Some sources suggest spun sugar originated in Italy as early as the 15th century. By the 19th century, it was a common form of spun sugar found in Europe. However, it was very expensive and required much labor to make. This meant it was not available to most average people. The modern era of cotton candy began in 1897. Dentist William Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton invented a machine-spun version. They introduced it at the 1904 World's Fair as "Fairy Floss." It was an immediate success, with 68,655 boxes sold at 25 cents each.

Technological improvements have changed how the candy is made and sold.

In 1905, Albert D. Robinson patented an electric machine with a motor-driven bowl. He later transferred these rights to the General Electric Company in 1907. In 1921, Joseph Lascaux, a dentist from New Orleans, patented a similar machine. His patent used the specific name "cotton candy," which eventually became more popular than "fairy floss" in the United States. By the 1970s, automatic machines were created to produce and package the candy. This made it much easier to sell at portable stalls. Today, some large commercial machines can spin at 3,450 revolutions per minute.

Flavor and color are central to the identity of the confection.

While sugar is naturally white, food coloring is added to create bright varieties. Two major flavor-color blends are pink vanilla and blue raspberry. The blue raspberry flavor became so famous in the 1950s that it became a "compound flavor." This means other foods, like ice cream or gum, now use "cotton candy flavor" to create a sense of nostalgia. In the United States, people celebrate National Cotton Candy Day every year on December 7.

Safety and regulation are also important parts of the industry. In February 2024, officials in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry implemented a ban on certain samples. This happened after lab tests found rhodamine-B, a cancer-causing substance, in the candy. Similar testing and pushes for bans occurred in Delhi and Andhra Pradesh. Because the chemical can increase cancer risks, its use as a food dye is already illegal in Europe and California.