Identification

• Rock candy made from brown sugar.
  
  Rock candy is made up of large sugar crystals. It would therefore be more appropriate to simply call it "rock sugar." In that sense rock candy bears a relationship with table sugar, similar to that shared between rock salt and table salt.
  
  

Process

• Colored rock candy on a stick.
  
  Rock candy is made by creating a supersaturated solution of sugar and water, which is set and cooled for a several days and allowed to form the characteristic large crystals. This is usually done by heating the water, as hotter water can absorb more sugar. White rock sugar is often colored by adding a selected normal food coloring.
  
  

History

• Rock candy's earliest origins are found in Iran and India, where there are records of it being made in the ninth century. These West Asian versions of rock candy were colored and formed onto sticks, in a style that remains familiar to this day.
  
  

Frisian Rock Candy

• Rock candy is a popular sweetener for hot tea in Frisia, a region of Northern Europe that is split between Germany and Holland. The Hungarians are also fond of this practice. In Frisia, rock candy is also used to make a special candied white bread.
  
  

Indian Breath Freshener

• Another niche application for rock candy is in India, where it is used to make mishri. This is a mix of small rock candies and aniseed, which is served after meals in the same role as a breath mint.
  
  

Day of the Dead

• In Mexico, the sugar crystals are formed around a string frame to create rock candy skulls called calaveras de azúcar, which are decorated and given to children.