In contrast with favorite candies and sweets that go back thousands of years, fudge is fairly young. Earlier fudge flavors included chocolate, vanilla and brown sugar penuche. The state of Michigan is the fudge capital of the United States. Now days, the flavorings or mixtures of fudge ingredients are nearly endless. Some of them are: maple walnut, chocolate cappuccino, lemon butter, vanilla caramel, raspberry coffee, vanilla cherry chocolate chip, chocolate caramel pecan, chocolate cheesecake, dark chocolate and peanut butter.
Nearly everyone loves to eat delicious, creamy fudge, but people think of it as a bit of a hassle to make. The original recipes were often unclear and extremely difficult. Difficulty largely depended on how good the equipment was, the kind of ingredients, which recipe and the patience to make it right. Also, constant stirring and being certain of the cooking time, and precise measurements were an integral part of the perfect fudge candy. Stirring at the right time, and bringing the ingredients to the right temperature are necessary as well in order for the fudge to be creamy, smooth and not grainy. Moreover it is really easy to under or over cook this confectionery treat, which results in the fudge not setting up or tasting scorched.
According to legend, (although uncertain) fudge was developed by accident with a failed batch of candy; most likely caramels, sometime around 1886. From this flawed batch of candy came the cooks' exclamation of or the phrase 'oh, fudge!' The initial documentation of fudge was in a letter from New York. A college student from Vassar, Emelyn Battersby Hartidge, stated that the cousin of a classmate made fudge. In Baltimore in 1886, the candy was sold for 40 cents per pound. A few years later Ms. Hartidge procured the recipe and made 30 pounds for the Senior Auction at Vassar. Other colleges like Wellesley and Smith then developed fudge recipes of their own.
When it is defined, fudge is a rich and creamy confection. A semi-soft candy, traditionally very smooth and made using sweet cream, sugar, corn syrup, fresh butter and sometimes some different delicious flavorings. Flavors can be vanilla, butterscotch, chocolate, white chocolate, kool aid, peanut butter, flavored gelatin, buttermilk, Kahlua, bourbon, maple, pumpkin or even mint. Fudge may contain various nuts, including walnuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, roasted macadamia nuts, and almonds. Other ingredients used in some of the more decadent or uncommon fudge may be: popcorn, crushed candy canes, crackers, cheese, candy bars, lime zest, coconut, pineapple chunks, cookie wafers, espresso beans, chocolate chips, caramel, chunks of chocolate, marshmallows, or cherries and other candied or dried fruit.
While the actual word fudge has multiple meanings, none of them are equivalent to the old fashioned, family favorite, premium chocolate fudge. In the U.S., almost always, the word fudge means a mouth watering, rich and creamy chocolate confectionery. At times you'll see the word fudge is used on packaging of brownies or cakes, but this only means they've got more chocolate flavoring.
Author's Bio: Anna McAnthony is a staff and content writer at http://www.chocolategourmetcandy.com, and has been writing articles and doing research on chocolate and chocolate candy for several years. Visit http://www.chocolategourmetcandy.com for more information.
