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Candy primarily composed of sugar

Sugar candy is any candy whose primary ingredient is sugar. The main types of sugar candies are hard candies, fondants, caramels, jellies, and nougats. In British English, this broad category of sugar candies is called sweets, and the name candy or sugar candy is used only for hard candies that are nearly solid sugar. Sugar candy is a sub type of candy, which includes sugar candies as well as chocolates, chewing gum and other sweet foods. Candy, in turn, is a sub type of confectionery, which also includes sweet pastries and sometimes ice cream.

The oldest sugar candies are presumed to have been made where the sugar cane plant was domesticated. Sugar cane probably originated in Papua New Guinea, and from there was taken to Southeast Asia and other Pacific Islands, and ultimately to India and China. Similarly in Iran, tea is consumed with sugar candy (called nabat) placed either in the tea or in the mouth. In China, sugar candy is used to sweeten Chrysanthemum tea as well as Cantonese dessert soups and the liquor baijiu. Sugar candy is a common ingredient in Chinese cooking, and many households have sugar candy available to marinate meats and add to stir fry. Sugar candy is also regarded as having medicinal properties and is used to prepare food such as yao shan. It is a common ingredient in Tamil cuisine, particularly in the Sri Lankan city of Jaffna.

[[File:Rock Candy Closeup. jpg|alt=Green sugar crystals on a stick, called rock candy|thumb|upright|
In candy classification, rock hard sugar candies that look similar to real crystals actually have an amorphous crystal structure, not a crystalline one. Crystalline sugar candies are chemically described as having two phases, because the tiny, solid sugar crystals are suspended in a thick liquid solution. These are also called grained candies, because they can have a grainy texture. Amorphous sugar candies have only one phase, which is either solid or liquid, and do not have a grainy texture, so they may be called ungrained. A cream paste may include gelatin and is not dried as completely. LicoriceLicorice is a candy flavored by liquorice plants. During the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas authorized the consumption of sugar candy during the fasting period of Lent, because "sugared spices" (such as comfits) were, in his opinion, digestive aids on par with medicine rather than food.

Shelf life is largely determined by the amount of water present in the candy and the storage conditions. High sugar candies, such as hard candies, can have a shelf life of many years if kept covered in a dry environment. Spoilage for low moisture candies tends to involve a loss of shape, color, texture and flavor, rather than the growth of dangerous microbes. Impermeable packaging can reduce spoilage due to storage conditions. Candies spoil more quickly if they have different amounts of water in different parts of the candy (for example, a candy that combines marshmallow and nougat), or if they are stored in high moisture environments. This process is due to the effects of water activity, which results in the transfer of unwanted water from a high moisture environment into a low moisture candy, rendering it rubbery, or the loss of desirable water from a high moisture candy into a dry environment, rendering the candy dry and brittle. Another factor, affecting only non crystalline amorphous sugar candies, is the glass transition process. This can cause amorphous candies to lose their intended texture.

In George Orwell's satirical book Animal Farm which equates the Soviet Union with an animal farm ruthlessly dominated by a ruling class of pigs, a raven called Moses regales Animal Farm's denizens with tales of a wondrous place beyond the clouds called "Sugarcandy Mountain, that happy country where we poor animals shall rest forever from our labours!" Orwell portrays established religion as "the black raven of priestcraft—promising pie in the sky when you die, and faithfully serving whoever happens to be in power." The pigs bring the exiled raven back (Ch. IX), as Stalin brought back the Russian Orthodox Church.