ThisKrokan is a traditional Swedish baker's confection.
Confectionery is theart[1][2] of makingconfections, or sweet foods.[1][2] Confections are items that are rich in sugar andcarbohydrates although exact definitions are difficult.[3] In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories:bakers' confections andsugar confections.[4]
Bakers' confectionery, also calledflour confections, includes principally sweet pastries, cakes, and similarbaked goods. Baker's confectionery excludes everydaybreads, and thus is a subset of products produced by abaker.
Sugar confectionery includes candies (also calledsweets, short forsweetmeats,[5] in many English-speaking countries), candied nuts, chocolates, chewing gum, bubble gum,pastillage, and other confections that are made primarily of sugar. In some cases,chocolate confections (confections made of chocolate) are treated as a separate category, as are sugar-free versions of sugar confections.[6] The wordscandy (Canada and US),sweets (UK, Ireland, and others), andlollies (Australia and New Zealand) are common words for some of the most popularvarieties of sugar confectionery.
The occupation ofconfectioner encompasses the categories of cooking performed by both the Frenchpatissier (pastry chef) and theconfiseur (sugar worker).[5] The confectionery industry also includes specialized training schools and extensive historical records.[7] Traditional confectionery goes back to ancient times and continued to be eaten through theMiddle Ages and into the modern era.
The oldest recorded use of the word confectionery discovered so far by theOxford English Dictionary is by Richard Jonas in 1540, who spelled or misspelled it as "confection nere" in a passage "Ambre,muske,frankencense,gallia muscata andconfection nere", thus in the sense of "things made or sold by a confectioner". Also according to the OED, the sense of "the art and business of a confectioner" is first recorded in 1743, and the earliest use in the sense of a "confectioner's shop" dates to 1803.[2]
SomeIndian confectionery desserts from hundreds of varieties. In certain parts of India, these are calledmithai or sweets. Sugar and desserts have a long history in India: by about 500 BCE, people in India had developed the technology to produce sugar crystals. In the local language, these crystals were calledkhanda (खण्ड), which is the source of the wordcandy.[8]
In the early history of sugar usage in Europe, it was initially the apothecary who had the most important role in the production of sugar-based preparations. Medieval European physicians learned the medicinal uses of the material from the Arabs and Byzantine Greeks. One Middle Eastern remedy for rheums and fevers were little, twisted sticks ofpulled sugar called in Arabical fänäd oral pänäd. These became known in England as alphenics, or more commonly as penidia, penids, pennet or pan sugar. They were the precursors ofbarley sugar and moderncough drops. In 1390, the Earl of Derby paid "two shillings for two pounds of penydes.[citation needed]"
Jordan almonds. Sugar-coated nuts or spices for non-medicinal purposes marked the beginning of confectionery in late medieval England.
As the non-medicinal applications of sugar developed, the comfitmaker, or confectioner gradually came into being as a separate trade. In the late medieval period the words confyt, comfect or cumfitt were generic terms for all kinds of sweetmeats made from fruits, roots, or flowers preserved with sugar. By the 16th century, a cumfit was more specifically a seed, nut or small piece of spice enclosed in a round or ovoid mass of sugar. The production ofcomfits was a core skill of theearly confectioner, who was known more commonly in 16th and 17th century England as a comfitmaker. Reflecting their original medicinal purpose, however, comfits were also produced by apothecaries and directions on how to make them appear in dispensatories as well as cookery texts. An early medieval Latin name for an apothecary wasconfectionarius, and it was in this sort of sugar work that the activities of the two trades overlapped and that the word "confectionery" originated.[7]
In thecuisine of the Late Ottoman Empire diverse cosmopolitan cultural influences were reflected in published recipes such as European-style molded jellies flavored with cordials. In Europe, Ottoman confections (especially "lumps of delight" (Turkish delight) became very fashionable among European and British high society.[15] An important study of Ottoman confectionery calledConditorei des Orients was published by the royal confectioner Friedrich Unger in 1838.[16]
Confections are defined by the presence of sweeteners. These are usually sugars, but it is possible to buy sugar-free candies, such as sugar-freepeppermints. The most common sweetener for home cooking istable sugar, which is chemically adisaccharide containing bothglucose andfructose. Hydrolysis of sucrose gives a mixture calledinvert sugar, which is sweeter and is also a common commercial ingredient. Finally, confections, especially commercial ones, are sweetened by a variety of syrups obtained byhydrolysis ofstarch. These sweeteners include all types ofcorn syrup.[18]
Bakers' confectionery includes sweet baked goods, especially those that are served for thedessert course. Bakers' confections are sweet foods that featureflour as a main ingredient and arebaked. Major categories includecakes, sweetpastries,doughnuts,scones, andcookies.[19] In the Middle East and Asia, flour-based confections predominate.
The definition of which foods are "confectionery" vs "bread" can vary based on cultures and laws. In Ireland, the definition of "bread" as a "staple food" for tax purposes requires that the sugar or fat content be no more than 2% of the weight of the flour, so some products sold as bread in the US would be treated as confectionery there.[20]
Cakes have a somewhat bread-like texture, and many earlier cakes, such as the centuries-oldstollen (fruit cake), or the even olderking cake, were rich yeast breads. The variety of styles and presentations extends from simple to elaborate. Major categories includebutter cakes,tortes, andfoam cakes. Confusingly, some confections that have the wordcake in their names, such ascheesecake, are not technically cakes, while others, such asBoston cream pie are cakes despite seeming to be named something else.
Europeanspit cakes are baked around a metal cylinder.
Cake with decorations made from sugar
Pastry is a large and diverse category of baked goods, united by the flour-based doughs used as the base for the product. These doughs are not always sweet, and the sweetness may come from the sugar, fruit, chocolate, cream, or other fillings that are added to the finished confection. Pastries can be elaborately decorated, or they can be plain dough.
Cookies are small, sweet baked treats. They originated as small cakes, and some traditional cookies have a soft, cake-like texture. Others are crisp or hard.
Examples of cookies
Thin wafer cookies such aspizzelle have been made since the Middle Ages.[21]
InNorth America,candy, although this term generally refers to a specific range of confectionery and does not include some items of sugar confectionery (e.g. ice cream).Sweet is occasionally used, as well astreat.
In the US, a chocolate-coated candy bar (e.g.Snickers) would be called acandy bar, in Britain more likely achocolate bar than unspecifically asweet.
Thisgingerbread house has walls and roof made fromcookie dough and decorations made fromicing andsugar candy. Classification is sometimes challenging because products can overlap categories.
In the United States, theNorth American Industry Classification System (NAICS 2012) splits sugar confectionery across three categories: National industry code 311340 for all non-chocolate confectionery manufacturing, 311351 for chocolate and confectionery manufacturing from cacao beans, and national industry 311352 for confectionery manufacturing from purchased chocolate.[26]
Ice cream andsorbet are classified with dairy products under ISIC 1050, NACE 10.52, and NAICS 311520.[27]
Rock candy is simply sugar, with optional coloring or flavor.A bar ofchocolate, which can either be consumed as-is or used as an ingredient in other dishes.Assorted fudgesBrittles are a combination of nuts andcaramelized sugar.
Marzipan: Analmond-based confection, doughy in consistency.
Mithai: A generic term for confectionery in theIndian subcontinent, typically made from dairy products and/or some form of flour. Sugar or molasses are used as sweeteners.
Persipan: similar to marzipan, but made with peaches or apricots instead of almonds.
Pastillage: A thick sugar paste made with gelatin, water, and confectioner's sugar, similar to gum paste, which is moulded into shapes, which then harden.
Tablet: A crumbly milk-based soft and hard candy, based on sugars cooked to the soft ball stage. Comes in several forms, such as wafers and heart shapes. Not to be confused withtableting, a method of candy production.
Taffy (British:chews): A sugar confection that is folded many times above 120 °F (50 °C), incorporating air bubbles thus reducing its density and making it opaque.
Toffee: A confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses along with butter. Toffee has a glossy surface and textures ranging from soft and sticky to a hard, brittle material. Its brown color and smoky taste arise from the caramelization of the sugars.
Shelf life is largely determined by the amount of water present in the candy and the storage conditions.[29] High-sugar candies, such as boiled candies, can have a shelf life of many years if kept covered in a dry environment. Spoilage of low-moisture candies tends to involve a loss of shape, color, texture, and flavor, rather than the growth of dangerous microbes. Impermeable packaging can reduce spoilage due to storage conditions.
Candies spoil more quickly if they have different amounts of water in different parts of the candy (for example, a candy that combines marshmallow and nougat), or if they are stored in high-moisture environments.[29] This process is due to the effects ofwater activity, which results in the transfer of unwanted water from a high-moisture environment into a low-moisture candy, rendering it rubbery, or the loss of desirable water from a high-moisture candy into a dry environment, rendering the candy dry and brittle.
Another factor, affecting only non-crystalline amorphous candies, is theglass transition process.[29] This can cause amorphous candies to lose their intended texture.
The chocolate companyCadbury (under the guidance ofRichard Cadbury) was the first to commercialize the connection between romance and confectionery, producing a heart-shaped box of chocolates forValentine's Day in 1868.[30]
Tourists commonly eat confections as part of their travels. The indulgence in rich, sugary foods is seen as a special treat, and choosing local specialties is popular. For example, visitors to Vienna eatSachertorte and visitors to seaside resorts in the UK eatBlackpool rock candy. Transportable confections likefudges andtablet may be purchased assouvenirs.[31]
Contaminants andcoloring agents in confectionery can be particularly harmful to children. Therefore, confectionery contaminants, such as high levels oflead, have been restricted to 1 ppm in the US. There is no specific maximum in the EU.[33]
Candy colorants, particularly yellow colorants such asE102 Tartrazine,E104 Quinoline Yellow WS andE110 Sunset Yellow FCF, have many restrictions around the world. Tartrazine, for example, can cause allergic andasthmatic reactions and was once banned in Austria, Germany, and Norway. Some countries such as the UK have asked the food industry to phase out the use of these colorants, especially for products marketed to children.[34]
^Guinness World Records 2017. Guinness World Records. 8 September 2016. p. 90.ISBN9781910561348.Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved16 November 2021.Richard Cadbury, eldest son of John Cadbury who founded the now iconic brand, was the first chocolate-maker to commercialize the association between confectionery and romance, producing a heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in 1868
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