- Gobstopper
Gobstoppers, known as jawbreakers in
Canada and theUnited States , are a type of hardcandy . They are usually round, usually range from about 1 cm across to 3 cm across (though much bigger gobstoppers can sometimes be found in US candy stores, up to 8 cm in diameter) and are traditionally very hard.The term "gobstopper" derives from 'gob', which is
United Kingdom slang formouth .Gobstoppers usually consist of several layers, each layer dissolving to reveal a different coloured (and sometimes different flavoured) layer, before dissolving completely. Gobstoppers are sucked or licked, being too hard to bite without risking dental damage (hence the US title).
Gobstoppers have been sold in traditional sweet shops for at least a century, often sold by weight from jars. As gobstoppers dissolve very slowly, they last a very long time in the mouth, which is a major factor in their enduring popularity with children.
Manufacture
Gobstoppers are made by slowly depositing layers onto a core (such as a single sugar grain or
anise seed). Gobstoppers are made in large, rotating, heated pans. The candies take several weeks to manufacture, as the process of adding liquid sugar is repeated multiple times (more than 100 times over two weeks to make a one inch ball)Fact|date=October 2008. Colour and flavour are also added during the panning process.Everlasting Gobstoppers
The Everlasting Gobstoppers sold under Nestlé's Willy Wonka Candy Company brand were first introduced in
1976 by Breaker Confections, and are named after theEverlasting Gobstopper s inRoald Dahl 'schildren's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory " (and the movie "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ", which was based on the book). In Dahl's story, Everlasting Gobstoppers are purported to last forever.Exploding jawbreakers
In 2003, a nine year old girl in
Starke, Florida , Taquandra Diggs, suffered severe burns, allegedly from an exploding jawbreaker. [ [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/jawbreaker1.html The Smoking Gun] ] [ [http://www.local6.com/news/2491417/detail.html Jawbreaker Candy Explodes, Burns Fla. Girl's Face - Orlando News Story - WKMG Orlando] ]A 2004 episode of the
Discovery Channel television program "MythBusters " then demonstrated that heating a jawbreaker in amicrowave oven can cause the different layers inside to heat at different rates, yielding an explosive spray of very hot candy when compressed; "MythBusters" crew membersAdam Savage and Christine Chamberlain received light burns after a jawbreaker exploded.See also
*
Aniseed ball
*Atomic Fireball
* Lemonheads
*Ed, Edd n Eddy External links
* [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/jawbreaker1.html Police report on Taquandra Diggs' exploding jawbreaker] (thesmokinggun.com)
* [http://www.britishcandy.com Worlds Biggest Gobstopper]
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