**1. Composition of Barley Sugar:**
– Barley sugar can be prepared using different methods involving varying temperatures.
– Timberlake Candies offers barley sugar with cream of tartar and barley candy with corn syrup.
– Some modern confectioners create barley candy without barley, using synthetic flavorings.
– The FDA discourages labeling a product as barley sugar unless it contains barley.
– Barley sugar does not refer to a specific production method or candy type.
**2. Historical Background of Barley Sugar:**
– Sugar was initially used medicinally or as a spice before the 18th century.
– The traditional preparation of barley sugar, Sucre d’orge, dates back to 1638 in France.
– Barley sugar gained popularity among French nobility and was a significant revenue source until the French Revolution.
– The recipe for Sucre d’orge des Religieuses de Moret was passed down through generations.
– The production of Sucre d’orge des Religieuses de Moret was revived in 1853 by a Benedictine community.
**3. Evolution of Barley Sugar in National Tastes:**
– The 18th and 19th centuries saw a shift in candy preferences due to industrialization and sugar beet use.
– Sugar became a common ingredient rather than a luxury item.
– England, France, and Scotland had conflicts over sugar sources.
– Barley sugar’s popularity declined in Paris and London by the 1860s.
– Traditional barley sugar in England was replaced by various new sugar candies.
**4. Molded Barley Sugar Tradition:**
– Metal molds were introduced in the 18th century for shaping candies.
– Molded barley candies became a popular Victorian Christmas treat in Germany, England, and North America.
– Pennsylvania became a hub for molded barley candy production in North America.
– Timberlake Candies produced molded barley candies with various flavors and antique molds.
– The Victorian era saw the rise of molded barley candies as a festive tradition.
**5. Recipes and Culinary References:**
– Historical recipes for barley sugar included barley as an ingredient.
– By the 1800s, most recipes for barley sugar omitted barley.
– Recipes from the 19th century used ingredients like sugar, lemon, vinegar, and egg white.
– Modern recipes for barley sugar use ingredients such as sugar, water, lemon, and cream of tartar.
– Cookbooks from the 19th and 20th centuries featured recipes for molded barley candies and clear toy candy.
Barley sugar (or barley sugar candy) is a traditional variety of boiled sweet (hard candy), often yellow or orange in colour, which is usually made with an extract of barley, giving it a characteristic taste and colour. In Britain it is (or was) usually sold in the shape of twisted sticks. Barley sugar is very similar to clear toy candy (which traditionally is made with pure water rather than barley water) and to hard caramel candy in its texture and taste.
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