☾ How to Participate ☾
• Read the information in this thread, all about candy!
• Answer the Candy Quiz Questions
• If you answer at least 8 of the 10 questions correctly, you will receive the Candy Quiz bumper from Sailor Mercury!
• But don't worry, if the questions catch you by surprise, send a PM to Sailor Mercury and she will give you another opportunity to show off what you've learned and earn the bumper!
• If you answer all 10 questions correctly on your first try, you will also receive the Candy Quiz signature from Sailor Mercury!
• Last Day to Take the Challenge: Sunday, August 6

☾ Let's Learn About Candy! ☾

Candy is defined as a confection made primarily from sugar or sugar substitutes. It is often eaten casually and with the fingers, differentiating it from other desserts such as cakes or pastries. Before the increased availability of sugar, candy was based on honey. China, Egypt, Greece, the Roman Empire, and many countries in the Middle East preserved fruits by coating them in honey. This is often considered some of the first "candy".

Some early candies were actually developed as medicines. Digestive issues were common when food storage lacked refrigeration and food availability could be variable. Mixing spices and seeds into sugar and forming tablets was hoped to improve upset stomachs—although due to the high cost of the ingredients, in the Middle Ages these aids could only be found on the tables of the wealthy. Even in later years, candy was often still considered medicinal. A coating of sugar easily disguised the bitter taste of some pharmaceutical compounds.

The market greatly expanded in the 1830s. Technological advances for mass-production impacted the manufacture of candy and the manufacture and exportation of refined sugar, an essential ingredient for candy. With candy available in a new way and at lower cost, "penny candy" became an item that children could (and did!) buy. The 1847 candy press and the 1851 revolving steam pan were inventions that removed some of the physical labor and thus made it easier to run a candy shop.

When candy is made, sugar is dissolved into a liquid (often milk or sugar) and boiled. The longer the syrup is boiled the more water evaporates, which impacts the concentration of sugar. This concentration determines the final texture and hardness of the candy. Higher temperatures (and thus more concentrated sugar) tend to create harder candies; lower concentrations softer candies. Sucrose molecules break down into simpler sugars at 171°C (340°F), which is known as caramelization.

The etymology for the word "candy" is fairly detailed! It comes from Middle English sugre-candy, from Old French sucre candi ("candy sugar"), from Arabic قَنْدِيّ (qandiyy, “candied”), from Arabic قَنْد (qand, “hard candy made by boiling cane sugar”), from Persian کند (kand); and ultimately from Sanskrit खण्ड (khaṇḍa, “candied sugar”), root खण्ड् (khaṇḍ, means to “to divide, break into pieces”). Wow!

Sources and Additional Reading:

Took the quiz but how do we show you our results? screenshot?

Since the quiz is created in Google Forms, I suspect she has access to the answers via her Google account in Google Sheets or Google Forms. But, I'm not certain if she knows who took which test, because I didn't have to enter my name.

Sent. I had fun reading all the info really. Thanks for creating the quiz! <3

Sent! Was kind of challenging.

Sent mine as well. This is was very interesting!

I sent mine it, it was really fun and interesting.  I loved the etymology!

Nice game, I learned something new along the way!

I didn't realize how relatively early candy as we know it today was made! Nice job, Mercury!

I learned a lot of this on a field trip in middle school but didn't know a lot of stuff! I make my own taffy so this was a fun little quiz. Candy is so amazing! .... I just wish it didn't hurt my sensitive baby like teeth T...T

Forgot to say I did the thing.

Thanks for that informative lecture, Sailor Mercury! Sent in my answers.

Oh I did much better than expected since I guessed at about everything. Guess I know more than I thought. xD

Brit-chan wrote:

Oh I did much better than expected since I guessed at about everything. Guess I know more than I thought. xD

Mercury thinks you need additional tutoring if you're guessing at everything! Didn't you pay attention to your lessons as Small Lady?

Thanks for the little lecture! I enjoyed reading it!

Btw I think "[(...]or sugar)" may be a typo?

Gramma Nutt wrote:

Brit-chan wrote:

Oh I did much better than expected since I guessed at about everything. Guess I know more than I thought. xD

Mercury thinks you need additional tutoring if you're guessing at everything! Didn't you pay attention to your lessons as Small Lady?

No! I ran away to the past to escape studying! also may have gotten click happy and went straight to the quiz instead of reading the lesson xD

Sent! Thanks for the detailed background on candy, Mercury

Sent! This was a really fun quiz--thanks for hosting!

Sent. This was actually very informative, I like a game that makes you think.

Forgot to say that I sent mine in ages ago!