Rock candy, originating in ancient India over 2,000 years ago, represents the early refinement and use of sugar cane. Known as khanda, rock candy played significant roles in rituals and medicine. It offered a compact and portable solution for sugar before mass production, enduring long journeys along trade routes to Persia and China. This crystalline form of sugar became a symbol of status and curiosity, intertwining with power dynamics and cultural evolution. Rock candy’s journey reflects the broader history of sugar and global economic exchanges.
In ancient India, where sugar cane was first cultivated, people learned to coax geometric shards from boiled cane juice, known as khanda, the root word for candy.
Rock candy became an integral part of ritual offerings and ceremonies, distributed as prasad to devotees and used to mark special occasions.
Crystallizing sugar was a form of early kitchen alchemy, turning sugar into an emblem of status, sophistication, and curiosity.
Rock candy probably offered a practical solution: It was compact, portable, and resistant to spoilage, ideal for trade routes stretching from the subcontinent to Persia and China.
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