Fairy Floss: All Fired Up and Ready to Eat Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Fairy floss is a delicious carnival treat that most people remember from early childhood. It is made in a large round machine, but can it be made at home in the kitchen?

Answer: Yes

Fairy floss can be made in a kitchen using wire cutters, an old whisk, two large wooden spoons and the ingredients for making this delectable treat that children (and adults) enjoy. The ingredients consist of granulated sugar, light corn syrup, water, food color paste, flavoured oil and baking spray. The method of making your own fairy floss at home is on the website:
http://www.sugarstand.com/candy-recipes/homemade-cotton-candy-recipe.htm

This question was put forward by player soozy_woozy

2. Memories of summer days sitting under a circus tent or wandering through a country fair bring to mind the sweet aromatic smell of fairy floss wafting in the air. Can you guess what the "required" ingredients/ingredient to make fairy floss are/is?

Answer: Sugar

Fairy floss only requires the single ingredient - sugar. The sugar is melted and, once in liquid form, it enters a large container that is subject to centrifugal force, which will spin it into the fine strands we call fairy floss. Now, before you start spinning out at the thought of all that sugar (oh that pun was so intended), be aware that your single serving of fairy floss contains a similar amount of sugar as a can of soft drink. Please do not take that as a license to gobble as much as you want, the key here is like everything else - moderation.

Note: The other ingredients above (water and corn syrup) can be used as well; however, they are not "required".

This question was put forward by player pollucci19

3. No one can really say for sure who "invented" fairy floss but it has been around for a very long time. The earliest record of a "form" of fairy floss can be found in the same century that Da Vinci completed his famous smiling painting. Which century was this?

Answer: 16th

While it didn't look like the fairy floss that we are familiar with today, medieval cooks developed the art of spinning sugar with the aid of simple instruments such as forks. This delicacy proved extremely popular but it was only enjoyed by the lords and their ladies of the day. The cost of sugar at this time was extremely high making it a commodity that could only be savoured by the wealthy on a regular basis. So good was the skill of the cooks/chefs that they were able to create intricate patterns and creatures of myth with which to decorate cakes and confections.

This question was put forward by player pollucci19

4. Fairy floss has been called cotton candy and candy floss in many countries, but it was first called fairy floss by two American candy makers who brought their "electronic maker" to the St. Louis World's Fair, in 1904. Stone the crows mate, which country still calls this confection fairy floss?

Answer: Australia

Originally called fairy floss when it first found a large audience at the 1904 World's Fair, it is now only called that in Australia. Louisiana dentist Joseph Lascaux patented his machine that used centrifugal force and electricity and he called it a "cotton candy" producing device. This is when the name changed from fairy floss to cotton candy.

The United States and India call it cotton candy and it is candy floss in the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand. Canada calls it either cotton candy or candy floss. India and Greece also call it "old lady's hair" and in Greece they also call it Barbe a papa meaning "Papa's beard".

This question was put forward by player TAKROM

5. Much finer and more hair-like than western fairy floss, is Persian fairy floss, which comes in a range of interesting flavours such as rose water, orange and pistachio. By what name is this Persian variety more properly known?

Answer: Pashmak

Pashmak is a traditional, handspun Persian sweet, noted for its particularly fine wool-like texture. It is the variety of choice for top chefs as a dessert garnish.

It is made, unusually, from not only sugar but also sesame seeds, giving a slightly nutty flavour. It should be added to the top of the dessert at the last minute, as its fine texture means it dissolves quickly. Strands are laid across the top of the dessert, or twisted into a nest.

Paneer is an Indian cheese; percale is a standard for woven thread; and praline is nuts and toffee.

This question was put forward by player VegemiteKid

6. Did you know that a dentist was one of the people who patented an "electric candy machine"? The earliest mention of fairy floss (cotton candy) was volunteered in which US state that also houses a Rockabilly Hall of Fame?

Answer: Tennessee

John C. Wharton (a confectioner) and William J. Morrison (a dentist, yes you heard it right, a dentist) from Nashville, patented an "electric candy machine" in 1897 that used a heated plate to turn crystallized sugar to liquid, which was then spun at high speed through some very tiny holes to create the floss. Little is known of Wharton, but Morrison was quite a capable inventor. He also held a patent for a process that could extract oils from cotton and turned it into lard.

This question was put forward by player Pollucci19

7. You may think that this quiz has been sweet so far, however this next question does seem a bit fishy. Which one of these UK chefs experimented with a Sea Trout-flavoured fairy floss on a television seafood special?

Answer: Heston Blumenthal

Heston Blumenthal experimented with a Sea Trout-flavoured fairy floss on the Channel Four show "Heston's Fishy Feast" (2013). He collected the oil from a pan-fried Sea Trout and put it in a spray bottle. When the fairy floss was made in the normal way, he then lightly sprayed the fairy floss with the Sea Trout infused oil.

What did it taste like? One can only imagine.

This question was put forward by player zonko

8. The Chinese have a traditional sweet that is similar to fairy floss. Think of a mythical creature with facial hair and guess the name of this sweet treat.

Answer: Dragon's Beard Candy

Dragon's Beard Candy is made from sugar and maltose syrup. The resulting threads of sugar are wrapped into a cocoon shape encasing peanuts, coconut, sesame seeds or chocolate. A chef of the Emperor from the Chinese Han Dynasty experimented with stretching a dough-like mixture composed from rice flour. The small thin strands were not only sticky enough to put on the face but resembled a dragon's beard.

This question was put forward by player purelyqing

9. The first fully automated fairy floss machine, which made and packaged it, was introduced in which decade, that also saw the rise of a new form of thumping dance music explode onto the scene?

Answer: 1970s

Although what came to be known as cotton candy was machine-made from the beginning in 1897, it was not until 1972 that a fully automated machine was introduced. This made mass production much easier and the availability of the product soared. Fairy floss has always been made with a machine but several innovations along the way have made it more profitable and more available.

In 1921, a new machine was patented and that patent contained the name cotton candy. In 1949 springs were added to the machine of Gold Medal Products, the leading producer of fairy floss machines today, which proved to be a major breakthrough in the reliability of the machines, as well as making the fairy floss easier to be produced and available to sell at carnivals, fairs and stores.

In 1972 the next giant leap forward came with the fully automated machine which meant that fairy floss can be more easily produced and made available for different selling outlets. Today machines can be purchased for the counter-top all the way up to carnival size and there are even vending machines that produce single servings. Tootsie Roll of Canada Ltd., the world's largest cotton-candy manufacturer, made a bagged fruit-flavoured version called Fluffy Stuff.

Also in the 1970s, the new form of dance music was played in nightclubs and discos with a solid thump on each beat.

This question was put forward by player tazman6619

10. After a small amount of sugar is spun at high speed and heat, the resultant fairy floss is sticky, tasty and quite large in size. The reason for this is because it is full of air thus meaning it needs to be placed in or on something to keep it together. What or where do sellers place the delicious treat in or on before you buy it?

Answer: Sticks, cellophane bags and plastic buckets

The size and sticky nature of the fairy floss means that it must be contained in something or on something so that it doesn't go all over your clothes. Fairy floss doesn't stick to cellophane or plastic and it seems to sit very nicely on a wooden stick that is about a foot long.

Some of the fairy floss can be collected by the stick or the maker's hand so that it is easy to place in containers. Ceramic bowls would be too expensive; brown paper bags would need to have waxy insides thus making it also too expensive and metal prongs would see your fairy floss sitting on the floor as the fairy floss would not stick to it.

This question was put forward by player Soozy_Woozy

Source: Author Soozy_Woozy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Fairy Floss, a light fluffy confection sold at fairs, circuses and shops, is the topic of this quiz. How much do you know about this sweet treat that is also called cotton candy and candy floss?

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