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Candy, Chocolate & Sweets
2012-06-05 09:32:26
Fudge
Q: What is fudge? What are the origins?
A: While purists think of fudge as the creamy chocolate confection we all love, the official definition is that fudge is a soft rich candy usually made of sugar, milk, butter and flavoring. Chocolate is a favorite, and probably the most traditional flavor, but fudge can come in many delicious flavors.
Fudge is a crystalline candy and controlling the sugar solution crystallization is the key to delicious, smooth fudge. Everything must be precise when making fudge, from the measurements to temperature and stirring times, and any one thing can ruin the consistency of the batch. One of the most important aspects of any candy is the final texture. Temperature separates hard caramels from fudge and tiny micro crystals of sugar in fudge gives fudge its firm but smooth texture. The secret to successful fudge is getting these crystals to form at just the right time.
The exact origins of fudge have gotten a bit muddled with time, but we do know that it is an American invention developed around 1880. There is a record of fudge being sold in 1886 in a Baltimore store for 40 cents a pound.
In 1888, Miss Hartridge asked the storekeeper for the recipe which she made and sold at Vasser College. That original recipe still exists today!
The “Original” Fudge Recipe
Emelyn B. Hartridge of Vasser College
2 cups granulated white sugar
1 cup cream
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
Combine sugar and cream and cook over moderate heat. When this becomes very hot, add the chocolate. Stir constantly. Cook until mixture reaches soft-ball stage (234°-238°F). Remove from heat and add butter. Cool slightly, then mix until fudge starts to thicken. Transfer to a buttered tin. Cut into diamond-shaped pieces before fudge hardens completely.
The recipe is deceptively simple on paper. While hard to achieve the results are scrumptious. However, since it was difficult and not everyone had a candy thermometer, other similar but simpler recipes evolved using sweetened condensed milk or marshmallow cream to help achieve a consistently smooth texture.
Today, there are so many different
types of fudge that you could eat a different kind every week for years and never have two kinds exactly alike!
