Fudge

Fudge is a type of confection that is made by mixing sugar, butter and milk, heating it to the soft-ball stage at , and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency. In texture, this crystalline candy falls in between fondant icing and hard caramels.

Fruits, nuts, chocolate, caramel, candies, sweets, and other flavors are sometimes added inside or on top.

Fudge is often bought as a gift from a gift shop in tourist areas and attractions.

History

Fudge originated in the US during the late 19th century. The term fudge is said to have come in the 17th century from the interjection fadge, meaning “to fit together in a clumsy manner” and was originally used as a verb. Recipes were printed in many periodicals and advertisements during the 1880s. Its popularity was partly due to the decreasing cost of refined white sugar and partly due to the ability to make it at home without special equipment. Its inexpensive, unrefined qualities made it popular among people looking for a candy alternative that fell between expensive, fancy candies and the cheapest sweets.

In a letter written by Emelyn Battersby Hartridge, she recounts the purchasing of a box of fudge for 40 cents a pound in 1886 in Baltimore, Maryland. Fudge shops in tourist places such as Mackinac Island in Michigan began opening in 1887.

Fudge-making was popular at women's colleges. A student at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, claimed to have introduced it there in 1888 by selling her own batch. The diary of another student mentions making "fudges" in 1892. An 1893 letter from another Vassar College student describes "fudges" as containing sugar, fruit, chocolate, milk, and butter. A recipe for "Fudges at Vassar" was printed in '' The Sun'' in 1895. Despite describing the confections as "Vassar chocolates", the recipe given comprises sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla extract. Wellesley College and Smith College have their own versions of a fudge recipe dating from the late 19th or early 20th century.

Chemistry

One of the most important attributes of fudge is its texture. In forming a fondant, it is not easy to keep all vibrations and seed crystals from causing rapid crystallization into large crystals. Consequently, milkfat and corn syrup are often added. Corn syrup contains glucose, fructose (monosaccharides), and maltose (disaccharide). These sugars interact with sucrose molecules. They help prevent premature crystallization by inhibiting sucrose crystal contact. The fat also helps inhibit rapid crystallization. Controlling the crystallization of the supersaturated sugar solution is the key to making smooth fudge. Initiating crystals before the desired time will result in fudge with fewer, larger sugar grains. The final texture would then be grainy, a quality that is normally indicative of low-quality fudge.

The endpoint temperature separates hard caramel from fudge. The higher the peak temperature, the more sugar is dissolved, and the more water evaporates, resulting in a higher sugar-to-water ratio. Before the availability of cheap and accurate thermometers, cooks would use the ice-water, or cold-water, test to determine the saturation of the confection. Fudge is made at the "soft ball" stage, which varies by altitude and ambient humidity from to . Butter is added, and then the fudge is cooled and beaten until it is thick and small sugar crystals have formed. The warm fudge is sometimes poured onto a marble slab to be cooled and shaped.

Flavors and similar types

Fudge-making evolved a variety of flavors and additives. The favored flavors vary by place. In the US, chocolate is a default flavor, with peanut butter and maple as alternatives. When it is made from brown sugar, it is called '' penuche'' and is typically found in New England and the Southern United States. Pralines include nuts but not usually chocolate.

In the UK, rum-and-raisin, clotted cream and salted-caramel are popular. Tablet is a confection with similar ingredients but a distinct, grainy, brittle texture. It is often labelled as butter fudge or fudge outside of Scotland.

Hot fudge

"Hot fudge" sauce in the United States and Canada is a chocolate product often used as a topping for ice cream in a heated form, particularly sundaes and parfaits. It may occasionally be used as a topping for s'mores. The butter in typical fudge is replaced with heavy cream, resulting in a thick, pourable chocolate sauce while hot, becoming denser as the sauce cools. Commercial syrups (flavored with natural or artificial flavorings) are generally thinner and formulated to be usable at room temperature. One also encounters "hot caramel" or "hot butterscotch" but these commercial formulations are not very similar to fudge or hot fudge sauce.

See also

* '' Barfi'' – an Indian mithai made by cooking milk and sugar into fudge consistency; additions include coconut, carrot, or nuts
* Tablet (confectionery)
* Condensed milk
* Fudge cookie
* '' Knäck'' – a Swedish toffee confection
* ''Krówki'' – Polish confection similar to fudge
* Toffee

Notes

References

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External links

Science of candy: Fudge
Exploratorium

{{Traditional British Sweets

American desserts
Chocolate desserts
Chocolate
Christmas food
Confectionery
Dessert sauces