July 19: Sweets for the Sweet - It's National Candy Day!

Candy is often thought of as an unnatural human invention, yet the earliest type of candy was completely natural. In ancient cultures, honey was used to coat fruit and nuts with a sweet layer, creating a prototype for the candy seen on our shelves today.

Today, candy has developed into a vast array of different substances. For example, boiled sweets, bubble gum, lollipops, jelly beans and cotton candy have all developed from the original concept of candy. Candy is also different in eastern and western cultures. For example, a popular Indian candy named jalebi is unavailable or very rare in western cultures.

Interestingly, the word "candy" has been used for over 800 years, and derived from the Sanskrit word for cane sugar. Thanks to the impressive, multi-national advertising campaigns used by candy manufacturers and candy stores, lots of different types of candy have been captured by some of the best food photographers in the world.