Smarties (Ce De Candy)
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Smarties are a type of artificially fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
-flavor
Flavor
Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a food or other substance, and is determined mainly by the chemical senses of taste and smell. The "trigeminal senses", which detect chemical irritants in the mouth and throat as well as temperature and texture, are also very important to the overall...
ed tablet
Tableting
Tableting is a method of confectionery manufacture that shares many similarities with tablet pharmaceutical production.A powder or granule mixture is prepared, a die mold is filled, and then the mixture is compressed and ejected. While drug tablets are constrained to shapes that can be swallowed...
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...
produced by Smarties Candy Company, since 1949. They are marketed in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
under the brand name Rockets, to avoid confusion with Nestlé Smarties. They are similar to the English Fizzers from Swizzels Matlow
Swizzels Matlow
Swizzels Matlow is a British-based traditional confectionery manufacturer.Their best known sweets include Love Hearts, Double Lollies, Drumsticks, Refreshers , Fizzers and Parma Violets...
. In 1949, the brother of the chairman of Swizzels Matlow travelled to the US and established Ce De Candy, Inc. (now known as Smarties Candy Company).
The candies bear a strong resemblance to tablet
Tablet
A tablet is a pharmaceutical dosage form. It comprises a mixture of active substances and excipients, usually in powder form, pressed or compacted from a powder into a solid dose...
-style pills in shape and texture. One individual candy is in the shape of a cylinder with a diameter of roughly 1 cm
Centimetre
A centimetre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one hundredth of a metre, which is the SI base unit of length. Centi is the SI prefix for a factor of . Hence a centimetre can be written as or — meaning or respectively...
and a height of roughly 4 mm
Millimetre
The millimetre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousandth of a metre, which is the SI base unit of length....
. Larger ones have a diameter of 2.5 cm and are about 6 mm thick. Both sizes are concave. There are 25 calories and 6 grams of sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
in a roll of Smarties. Ingredients include: dextrose (may contain 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...
solids and/or maltodextrin
Maltodextrin
Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a creamy-white hygroscopic spraydried powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might be either moderately sweet or...
), citric acid
Citric acid
Citric acid is a weak organic acid. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks...
, calcium stearate
Calcium stearate
Calcium stearate is carboxylate of calcium that is found in some lubricants and surfactants. It is a white waxy powder.-Production and occurrence:Calcium stearate is produced by heating stearic acid, a fatty acid, and calcium oxide:...
, artificial flavors, colors
Food coloring
Food coloring is a substance, liquid or powder, that is added to food or drink to change its color. Food coloring is used both in commercial food production and in domestic cooking...
.
Smarties come in combinations of colors within their wrapped rolls. These include white and pastels yellow, pink, orange, purple, and green. Each color's flavor is different. They are usually packaged as a roll of 15 candies wrapped in PVC
PVC
Polyvinyl chloride is a plastic.PVC may also refer to:*Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor*Peripheral venous catheter, a small, flexible tube placed into a peripheral vein in order to administer medication or fluids...
. Because each package is small and inexpensive, they are often bought in bulk for occasions such as parties, parades, or Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
.
Flavors and tastes
Smarties Candy Company produces "extreme sour" and/or "tropical" varieties of Smarties.Each package contains an assortment of pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
colors, including white, yellow, pink, green, purple, and orange. The flavor of each color is as follows: White is orange/cream, yellow is pineapple, pink is cherry, green is strawberry, purple is grape, and orange is orange.
Regional Variations
Union Township, Union County, New Jersey
Union is a Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms...
, plant have a slightly different taste from the ones that are produced by their Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
, plant. Some people believe that the Canadian candies (branded as Rockets) generally taste stronger, with more noticeable differences between the various color flavors ,and say "Made in Canada" on the label after the list of ingredients. Canadian made Smarties are also imported into the US - typically, these Canadian Smarties are most commonly seen around Halloween, imported only when the US production is not sufficient for demand. These actually say "Made in Canada" under one of the main Smarties logos on the wrapper. These Canadian made Smarties have a slightly smoother look to them than US production - the US produced ones tend to have more colored "specks" present in them.
Ce De Candy's Canadian plant also produces varietal Smarties flavors and sizes, such as the "extreme sour" flavor as well as "candy money" which are larger tablets with monetary amounts etched into them such as 1 cent, 5 cents,10 cents, 25 cents, 1 dollar, 5 dollars, and ten dollars.
A new variety of Smarties, in which each piece is roughly the size of an American
Quarter (United States coin)
A quarter dollar, commonly shortened to quarter, is a coin worth ¼ of a United States dollar, or 25 cents. The quarter has been produced since 1796. The choice of 25¢ as a denomination, as opposed to 20¢ which is more common in other parts of the world, originated with the practice of dividing...
or Canadian quarter
Quarter (Canadian coin)
The quarter is a Canadian coin, valued at 25 cents or one-fourth of a Canadian dollar. It is a small, circular coin of silver colour. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official name for the coin is the 25-cent piece, but in practice it is simply called a quarter.-History of...
, are sold in single rolls. Although labeled simply as "Smarties", the candies are referred to as "Mega Smarties" by distributors and merchants.
Klik Rockets Dispenser
A Klik Rockets Dispenser (trademarked KLIK in caps) dispense Rockets brand candies (known as Smarties in the U.S.), in a way very similar to a Pez dispenser. Known variants of these dispensers include the Easter Bunny, and an orangeOrange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
fruit with sunglasses and a smile.
These dispensers hold . The dispensers are made in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and distributed by Regal Confections in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They are recommended only for children three years of age or older.