Candy corn has existed for more than 100 years! For some reason it only appears on store shelves seasonally, why is this? In the early time of candy corn, the lack of automated machinery was why the treat was only made during the fall season. Even though we have the ability to make it year round, we still make it seasonally out of tradition. That is except for when some candy corn producers make candy corn for Christmas, Easter, and sometimes, Valentine’s day. When candy corn was first made many men needed to work at the same time to produce the multicolor treat. There were men called stringers that walked backward and poured the mix of sugar, corn syrup, and other ingredients into the kernel shaped, cornstarch mold. It took three passes of the stringers for the three colors to appear, then the corn was then sent to cool. After cooling, the treat is given a confectioner’s glaze to provide a shine. When candy corn was finished, it was sent on either a wagon in tubes, boxes, or cartons.
Nowadays, many companies mass produce candy corn, such as Brach’s. The process for making the sweet corn is similar but almost fully done by machines. Candy corn is a big part of our Halloween history. Whether you like it or not, there will always be a little dish of the multicolor treat sitting on my Thanksgiving dinner table.
