You might have seen candied fruit around lately\u2014glistening, vibrant, almost otherworldly. You\u2019ll spot it arranged atop decorated desserts from new-wave pastry chefs, adorning sculptural centerpieces at fashionable parties, and embellishing the social media profiles of your favorite aesthetically minded food creators.<\/p>\n
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<\/picture><\/span><\/div>\nCandied cherries, a whole candied pear, and half a candied orange from Frank and Sal.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n The labor-intensive curiosity, long relegated to fruitcake and other traditional sweets, is making a glittering comeback. What is it about this old-school confection that so captures our imaginations? \u201cCandied fruit is translucent,\u201d explains Camilla Wynne, author of Nature\u2019s Candy<\/em>\u2014a magical effect that evokes gemstones, blown glass, or, Wynne\u2019s preferred comparison, glowing jellyfish.<\/p>\n A candied cactus pear from Baraka in a crinkled wrapper.<\/p>\n <\/span>Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n But it\u2019s not just the look that\u2019s precious: \u201cThere\u2019s something amazing about the fact that you can prolong the lifespan of fruit,\u201d she says, \u201cjust by replacing its water content with sugar.\u201d The process is arduous, spanning days or weeks of boiling and soaking in syrup, but when sugar properly penetrates fruit\u2019s cellular structure, not only does the appearance become almost incandescent, but the microbes that cause spoilage can\u2019t survive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/691e1d61773920ef7c18f943\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/ba0226-eye-candy_V8_110625_3348_VOG_final.jpg\"\/)
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