Where does candy come from? Most of it starts with sugar. Sugar comes from sugarcane or sugar beets.

Chocolate starts on a cacao tree. The fruit of the tree is called a pod.

Beans grow inside it. They are wrapped in a juicy white pulp.

The beans are dried and roasted. Roasting gives them the rich taste of chocolate.

Chocolate was a drink for most of its history. Hard chocolate bars did not show up until 1847.

A lollipop is hard candy. A cook heats sugar syrup until it is very hot. Then it cools and turns hard.

Gummy bears get their chew from gelatin. It is a protein from animals. It turns sweet liquid into a soft gel.

These candies are shaped in trays of starch. The mix is poured into holes in it, and it does not stick.

A jelly bean has a soft middle. Its hard shell is made of sugar.

Cotton candy is sugar spun into thin strands. A dentist helped build the first machine. His name was William Morrison. The year was 1897.

Sugar can hurt teeth. Germs in the mouth use sugar to make acid. That can eat tiny holes in a tooth.

Brushing twice a day with toothpaste helps protect teeth. So enjoy candy as a treat, and brush.

Words to know

• gelatin: a gel maker
• syrup: thick sweet liquid
• pod: fruit case
• starch: white powder