Jawbreakers, known as gobstoppers—’gob’ is slang for ‘mouth’ in the United Kingdom and Ireland—are hard candy spheres made from layer after layer of water, corn syrup, food coloring, and a sugar called dextrose. They’ve been around since the 1800s, made popular by companies like Chicago’s Ferrara Candy Company, who were making Jawbusters in 1919.
In this Discovery UK How It’s Made video, we’re shown how the gum and hard centers are made in a factory. Then layers of sugar mixture are poured into large coating pans that tumble and dry the spheres as they grow. The process is repeated to create ten layers over four days before the outsides are decorated and shined.
Next: How Victorian Nectar Drop candy is made and Incredible Amezaiku candy animal sculptures by Shinri Tezuka.Then balance it all out with Sugar: Hiding in plain sight, How Much Sugar Are You Really Eating? and What Causes Cavities?
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