Cotton candy, originally called floss fairy, was created by two candy makers from Nashville in 1897. It is made from sugar and food coloring spun through tiny holes to create a cloud-like texture. It is low in calories but high in sugar and should be consumed infrequently. The pink dye used in cotton candy contains tartrazine, which may have potentially dangerous effects on children, but the amount in cotton candy is negligible.
Cotton candy is the same thing as cotton candy. Both names are adopted from the original name, floss fairy. Two candy makers from Nashville, Tennessee dubbed this fairy light as a fairy light for air and candy in 1897. They created an electric machine to make cotton candy and sold this confection at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, where it was extremely popular .
How floss is made explains how it’s shaped, like puffs or clouds of the sweet stuff. Cotton candy usually contains only two ingredients, sugar and food coloring. A small bowl in the center of the machine heats the sugar and then presses it through tiny holes in which it spins as fine wire or threads, into a large circular bowl that surrounds the heated bowl.
People who make floss use sticks, typically white cardboard ones, to pick up a cloud of floss. If not served immediately, cotton candy is usually bagged in plastic bags, so it will retain its texture and not have a great shelf life, as many buy cotton candy at fairs and store it for a few days. In a few days the fibers become harder and if the humidity touches the cotton candy the effect is amplified. It clumps and no longer has the pleasant airiness of freshly spun yarn.
Dental floss remains popular, especially at local fairs, circuses, and amusement parks. It’s usually made in pink or blue, which are essentially its “flavors.” Technically, most floss has no other flavors added to it, and the flavors referred to are typically “pink” or “blue.” The predominant taste is sweet sugar as cotton candy is almost all sugar with just a little coloring added.
Despite the high sugar content, candy floss, especially in moderate amounts, is not as high in calories. A typical serving has about 100 calories, less than the 12-ounce (0.35 liter) serving of most sodas. However the food is pure sugar and larger portions produce higher calories. Given its components, cotton candy should be consumed infrequently, especially since if you’re at a fair or amusement park, you’re unlikely to have time to brush your teeth after eating it.
There are also some concerns about the dye commonly used to make the pink variety. This is an artificial coloring called tartrazine, which in a 2008 study by a research team at the University of Southampton in England, was shown to have potentially dangerous effects on children. According to this study, tartrazine may lower intelligence and create a higher risk of hyperactivity, but the effects aren’t fully understood, as it seemed to affect some children more than others.
The amount of tartrazine in cotton candy is negligible, and moreover, most people don’t consume cotton candy on a regular basis. It’s usually once in a while. If you’re concerned about food coloring, you might want to try the blue variety, as this dye hasn’t been linked to behavioral problems or potential health risks.
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