what is candy corn

Candy corn is a small, pyramid-shaped candy that is typically divided into three sections of different colors, with a waxy texture and a flavor based on honey, sugar, butter, and vanilla. It is a staple candy of the fall season and Halloween in North America. The traditional colors of candy corn, yellow, orange, and white, represent the colors of the fall harvest or of corn on the cob, with the wide yellow end resembling a corn kernel. The candy is made with sugar, corn syrup, salt, sesame oil, honey, artificial flavor, food colorings, gelatin, and confectioners glaze, which is made from lac resin, a bug secretion. Candy corn has a reputation for generating polarizing responses, with people either loving or hating it. It was first made in the 1880s and has remained relatively unchanged for over 100 years. Candy corn is not just for Halloween anymore, as candy makers have produced themed versions for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter in recent years.