Candied fruit

Candied fruit has existed since the 14th century. Whole fruit, smaller pieces of fruit, or pieces of peel, are placed in heated sugar syrup, which absorbs the moisture from within the fruit and eventually preserves it. Depending on the size and type of fruit, this process of preservation can take from several days to several months.[1] This process allows the fruit to retain its quality for up to a year.[2]

Candied fruit

Alternative names	crystallised fruit, glacé fruit
Type	Confectionery
Main ingredients	Fruit or peel, syrup
Cookbook: Candied fruit   Media: Candied fruit

Candied fruit displayed at La Boqueria in Barcelona

Candied orange peel

The continual process of drenching the fruit in syrup causes the fruit to become saturated with sugar, preventing the growth of spoilage microorganisms due to the unfavourable osmotic pressure this creates.[3]

Fruits that are commonly candied include dates, cherries, pineapple, as well as a root ginger.[4] The principal candied peels are orange and citron; these with candied lemon peel are the usual ingredients of mixed chopped peel (which may also include glacé cherries).

Recipes vary from region to region, but the general principle is to boil the fruit, steep it in increasingly stronger sugar solutions for a number of weeks, and then dry off any remaining water.[5]