Barley sugar is a traditional variety of British boiled sweet

Candy

Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...

, or hard candy

Candy

Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...

, yellow or orange in colour with an extract of barley

Barley

Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...

 added as flavouring. It is similar to hard caramel candy in its texture and taste

Taste

Taste is one of the traditional five senses. It refers to the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food, certain minerals, and poisons, etc....

.

History

The etymology is uncertain, but it is said to be that during various French/English wars "burnt sugar" was brought by the French to England, and mistranslated as "barley sugar"; the name was then reimported to France as as the literal translation ( meaning "barley"). So both French and the English speakers call it barley sugar although its content of barley

Barley

Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...

 (in the form of barley water

Barley water

Barley water, usually flavoured with lemon or other fruit, is a traditional British soft drink. It is made by boiling washed pearl barley, straining, then pouring the hot water over the rind and/or pulp of the fruit, and adding fruit juice and sugar to taste. The rind may also be boiled with the...

) is trivial.

Barley sugar was made in the 17th century by boiling down refined cane sugar with barley water

Barley water

Barley water, usually flavoured with lemon or other fruit, is a traditional British soft drink. It is made by boiling washed pearl barley, straining, then pouring the hot water over the rind and/or pulp of the fruit, and adding fruit juice and sugar to taste. The rind may also be boiled with the...

, cream of tartar, and water. A recipe was created in 1638 by the Benedictine monks of Moret-sur-Loing

Moret-sur-Loing

Moret-sur-Loing is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.The town was a source of inspiration for Monet, Renoir and Sisley.-Twin towns:...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, and there is a "Barley Sugar Museum" in the town.

During the 18th century metal molds were used to create the shapes known as Barley Sugar Clear Toys, a popular Victorian Christmas treat. Many modern confectioners make barley candy without barley allowing the name to become a euphemistic term. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discourages calling a product "barley sugar" or "barley candy" unless the product actually includes barley.

Barley sugar was often made into small spiral sticks, and the name is therefore sometimes used for the Solomonic column

Solomonic column

The Solomonic column, also called Barley-sugar column, is a helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew...

 in architecture, and twisted legs and spindles

Spindle (furniture)

A Spindle, in furniture, is an cylindrically symmetric shaft, usually made of wood. A spindle is usually made of a single piece of wood and typically has decoration fashioned by hand or with a lathe...

 in furniture, stair bannisters and other uses.

Barley sugar candy

Barley sugar candy differs from barley sugar by the presence of corn syrup

Corn syrup

Corn syrup is a food syrup, which is made from the starch of maize and contains varying amounts of maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften texture, add volume, prevent crystallization of sugar, and enhance flavor...

 and the absence of cream of tartar. This recipe increases the stability of the candy, improves the durability, and prevents liquefaction. Traditionally barley candy was used to soothe sore throats and calm upset stomachs. It is also used widely by climbers, scrambler

Scrambler

In telecommunications, a scrambler is a device that transposes or inverts signals or otherwise encodes a message at the transmitter to make the message unintelligible at a receiver not equipped with an appropriately set descrambling device...

s and ramblers

Ramblers

The Ramblers, formerly known as the Ramblers' Association, is the largest walkers' rights organisation in Great Britain which aims to look after the interests of walkers...

 to provide a quick source of energy during activities.

40 Hour Famine

Barley sugars and other energy sweets are the only food allowed to be eaten in the New Zealand & Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n 40 Hour Famine, an annual event which draws attention to world hunger. A single barley sugar is allowed to be consumed once every 4 hours during the 40 Hour Famine. This applies to participants older than primary school age.