Rock candy or sugar candy, also called rock sugar or crystal sugar, is a type of

confection Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somew ...

composed of relatively large

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

s. In some parts of the world, local variations are called Misri, nabat or navat. This candy is formed by allowing a

supersaturated In physical chemistry, supersaturation occurs with a solution when the concentration of a solute exceeds the concentration specified by the value of solubility at equilibrium. Most commonly the term is applied to a solution of a solid in a ...

solution of sugar and water to crystallize onto a surface suitable for crystal

nucleation In thermodynamics, nucleation is the first step in the formation of either a new Phase (matter), thermodynamic phase or Crystal structure, structure via self-assembly or self-organization within a substance or mixture. Nucleation is typically def ...

, such as a string, stick, or plain granulated sugar. Heating the water before adding the sugar allows more sugar to dissolve thus producing larger crystals. Crystals form after six to seven days.

Food coloring Food coloring, color additive or colorant is any dye, pigment, or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or beverages. Colorants can be supplied as liquids, powders, gels, or pastes. Food coloring is commonly used in commercia ...

may be added to the mixture to produce colored candy.

Nomenclature

Etymologically, "sugar candy" derives from late 13th century English (in reference to "crystallised sugar"), from Old French ''çucre candi'' (meaning "sugar candy"), and ultimately from Arabic ''qandi'', from Persian ''qand'' ("cane sugar"), probably from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

''khanda'' ("piece of sugar)". The sense gradually broadened (especially in the United States) to mean by the late 19th century "any

having sugar as its basis". In the United Kingdom, these are sweets, and "candy" tends to be restricted to sweets made only from boiled sugar and striped in bright colours. The modern American term "rock candy" (referring to brittle large natural sugar crystals) should not be confused with the British term

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

(referring to an amorphous and opaque boiled sugar product, initially hard but then chewy at mouth temperature).

Origins

Islamic writers in the first half of the 9th century described the production of candy sugar, where crystals were grown through cooling supersaturated sugar solutions. One of the famed makers of rock candy in the Muslim east is Hafiz Mustafa 1864 in Istanbul, founded during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz. According to the production process, rock sugar is divided into two types:

monocrystalline In materials science, a single crystal (or single-crystal solid or monocrystalline solid) is a material in which the crystal lattice of the entire sample is continuous and unbroken to the edges of the sample, with no grain boundaries. The absen ...

rock sugar and

polycrystalline A crystallite is a small or even microscopic crystal which forms, for example, during the cooling of many materials. Crystallites are also referred to as grains. Bacillite is a type of crystallite. It is rodlike with parallel longulites. S ...

rock sugar.

Cuisine

Rock candy is often dissolved in tea. It is an important part of the

tea culture Tea culture refers to how tea is made and consumed, how people interact with tea, and the aesthetics surrounding tea drinking. Tea plays an important role in some countries. It is commonly consumed at social events, and many cultures have cre ...

East Frisia East Frisia () or East Friesland (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the ...

, where a lump of rock sugar is placed at the bottom of the cup. Rock candy consumed with tea is also the most common and popular way of drinking tea in Iran, where it is called ''nabat''; the most popular nabat flavor is

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...

. Rock candy is also prepared in

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

under the name of '' novvot''. It is a common ingredient in Chinese cooking. In China, it is used to sweeten

chrysanthemum tea Chrysanthemum tea is a flower-based infusion beverage made from the chrysanthemum flowers of the species '' Chrysanthemum morifolium'' or ''Chrysanthemum indicum'', which are most popular throughout East and Southeast Asia. First cultivated in ...

, as well as Cantonese dessert soups and the liquor ''

baijiu ''Baijiu'' (), or ''shaojiu'' (), is a colorless Chinese liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). Each type of baijiu uses its own type of ''qū'' for fermentation to create a distinct and characteristic flavo ...

''. Many households have rock candy available to marinate meats, add to stir fry, and to prepare food such as yao shan. In less modern times, rock sugar was a luxury only for the wealthy. Rock candy is also regarded as having medicinal properties, and in some Chinese provinces, it is used as a part of

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

. In Mexico, it is used during the

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead () is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...

to make sugar skulls, often highly decorated. Sugar skulls are given to children so they will not fear death; they are also offered to the dead. In the

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

province of the Netherlands, bits of rock candy are baked in the luxury white bread '' sûkerbôle''. Rock candy is a common ingredient in

Tamil cuisine Tamil cuisine is a generic term used to describe culinary practices among Tamil language, Tamil-speaking populations, originating from Southern India and neighboring Sri Lanka. It encompasses several distinct styles of cuisine or cooking reper ...

, particularly in the Sri Lankan city of

Jaffna Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population o ...

. In the US, rock candy comes in many colors and flavors, and is slightly hard to find, due to it being considered old-fashioned.

Mishri

Mishri (or ''misri'') refers to crystallized sugar lumps, and a type of confectionery mineral, which has its origins in India and Iran, also known as rock sugar elsewhere. It is used in India as a type of candy, or used to sweeten milk or tea. Two Indian dessert dishes made from ''mishri'' and '' khoya'' (thickened milk) are ''mishri- mawa'' (''

kalakand Kalakand is a sweet cheese confection from India. It has been described as "akin to Italian cheesecake, firmer in texture than milk cake, but softer than burfis." History The earliest mention of kalakand as a sweet appears in the 19th-century ...

'') and ''mishri-peda'', which are more commonly eaten in northern and western regions of India, including

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, Delhi, Rajasthan,

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, and

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

; as well as

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

and northern coastal

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. The Ghantewala Halwai, a sweet shop in Delhi, which began by selling ''mishri mawa'' in 1790, is famous for ''mishri'' '' mawa'' and sells 40 varieties of sweets made from ''mishri''.

Beverages

Rock and rye is a term used both for alcoholic liqueurs and cocktails using rye whiskey and rock candy, as well as for non-alcoholic beverages made in imitation thereof, such as the "Rock & Rye" flavor of soda pop made by

Faygo Faygo Beverages, Inc., is a soft drink company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The beverages produced by the company, branded as Faygo or Faygo Pop, are distributed in the Midwestern, Mid-Atlantic, and Central Southern regions of the United ...

References

External links

* – an educational exercise in crystal and candy making (it may vary on however you want to make it). {{DEFAULTSORT:Rock Candy Candy Crystals Types of sugar