Lemon Crunchies

Freeze-drying is a piece of 1940s pharmaceutical engineering that ended up in the candy aisle. The candy is frozen solid, then held under vacuum so the ice turns straight to vapour without ever becoming liquid — a process called sublimation. No heat is involved, so nothing melts and nothing caramelises.

What is left behind is the candy's entire flavour load in a structure full of empty air pockets. It weighs almost nothing, shatters instantly, and tastes several times more intense than it did before, because all the water that used to dilute it is gone.

With lemon that transformation is dramatic. Citric acid concentrates as the moisture leaves, so the first piece is genuinely mouth-puckering — a sharp hit that fades into sweetness as the candy dissolves. It is closer to a sherbet sensation than to a boiled sweet.

The 1.5 oz bag is one generous serving — 42.5 g of candy that looks like far more than that once it is poured out, because freeze-dried candy is mostly air. It is the size to buy if you are trying a flavour for the first time, and the size that fits a lunchbox or a jacket pocket without being crushed.

Store it sealed in a cool, dry place. Moisture is the one thing that undoes freeze-dried candy — an open bag left out will slowly go soft, so press the seal shut properly and it will keep its snap.

• Freeze-dried real lemon candy
• Intensely tangy, airy melt-in-your-mouth texture
• 150 calories per 1.5 oz bag
• No artificial preservatives
• Made in the USA by Snack Kings LLC