The term refers to Food items that are (at least perceptibly) rich in Sugar . Different dialects of English also use regional terms for ''confections'':
- In Britain , Ireland and some Commonwealth countries, ""
- In Australia and New Zealand , ""
- In the United States , "" (although this term can also refer to a specific range of confectionery and does not include some items called confectionery, see below and the separate article on Candy ).
A note on spelling: ''confectionery'' (the product) is sold in a ''confectionary'' (the shop). However, the two words are often interchanged — even by Dictionaries .
Confectionery items include sweets, Lollipops , Candy Bar s, Chocolate and other sweet items of Snack Food . The term does not generally apply to cakes, biscuits or puddings which require cutlery to consume, although exceptions such as Petits Fours or Meringue s exist. Speakers of American English do not refer to these items as "candy."
American English classifies many confections as candy. The many categories and types of candy include:
- Hard candy: Based on sugars cooked to the hard-crack stage, including suckers (known as ''boiled sweets'' in British English), Lollipop s, jawbreakers (or Gobstoppers ), lemon drops, peppermint drops and disks, candy canes, Rock Candy , etc.
- .
- Toffee (or Taffy): Based on sugars cooked to the soft-ball stage and then pulled to create an elastic texture.
- Swiss Milk Tablet : A crumbly milk-based soft candy, based on sugars cooked to the soft-ball stage. Comes in several forms, such as wafers and heart shapes.
- root. Chewier and more resilient than gum/gelatin candies, but still designed for swallowing. For example, Liquorice Allsorts .
- Chocolate s: Used in the plural, usually referring to small balled centers covered with chocolate to create bite-sized confectionery.
- Gum/Gelatin candies: Based on Gelatin s, including gum drops, jujubes, Lokum / Turkish Delight , Jelly Bean s, gummies, etc.
- " (a trade name), circus peanuts, etc.
- -based confection, doughy in consistency, served in several different ways. It is often formed into shapes mimicking (for example) fruits, which marzipan-makers can then paint with food colorants. Alternatively marzipan may be flavoured, normally with Spirits such as Kirsch or Rum , and divided into small bite-sized pieces; these flavoured marzipans are generally served coated in Chocolate to prevent the alcohol evaporating, and are very common in northern Europe . Marzipan is also used in cake decoration.
- -like confectionery based on Egg whites with chopped Nut s.
However not all confections equate to "candy" in the American English sense. Non-candy confections include:
- is rich in butter, which was dispersed through the pastry prior to baking, resulting in a light, flaky texture; see also Pie and Tart .
- Chewing Gum : Uniquely made to be chewed, not swallowed.
- s.
- , a paste made from ground Sesame seeds.
- n Cookie typically consisting of two round sweet Biscuit s joined together with a sweet Jam , generally Dulce De Leche (milk jam).
- Spangles - for a British iconic confectionery.
- Sweets: A History of Candy, Tim Richardson, Bloomsbury, New York, 2002, hardcover, 392 pages, ISBN 1-58234-229-6
- A Treatise on the Art of Boiling Sugar, Henry Weatherley, London, 1864 (generally found in an American reprint by Henry Carey Baird & Co., Philadelphia, 1903)
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