What is "caramel"

Caramel \Car"a*mel\, n. [F. caramel (cf. Sp. caramelo), LL. canna mellis, cannamella, canamella, calamellus mellitus, sugar cane, from or confused with L. canna reed + mel, mellis, honey. See Cane.]

1. (Chem.) Burnt sugar; a brown or black porous substance obtained by heating sugar. It is soluble in water, and is used for coloring spirits, gravies, etc.

2. A kind of confectionery, usually a small cube or square of tenacious paste, or candy, of varying composition and flavor.

1725, from French caramel "burnt sugar" (17c.), via Old Spanish caramel (modern caramelo), ultimately from Medieval Latin cannamellis, traditionally from Latin canna (see cane (n.)) + mellis, genitive of mel "honey" (see Melissa). But some give the Medieval Latin word an Arabic origin, or trace it to Latin calamus "reed, cane."

n. 1 A smooth, chewy, sticky confection made by heating sugar and other ingredients until the sugars polymerize and become sticky. 2 A (sometimes hardened) piece of this confection. 3 A yellow-brown color.

1. n. firm chewy candy made from caramelized sugar and butter and milk

2. burnt sugar; used to color and flavor food [syn: caramelized sugar]

3. a medium to dark tan color [syn: yellowish brown, raw sienna, buff, caramel brown]

adj. having the color of caramel; a moderate yellow-brown [syn: caramel brown]

Caramel ( or ) is a beige to dark-brown confectionery product made by heating a variety of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard.

The process of caramelization consists of heating sugar slowly to around 340 °F (170 °C). As the sugar heats, the molecules break down and re-form into compounds with a characteristic color and flavor.

A variety of candies, desserts, and confections are made with caramel: brittles, nougats, pralines, crème brûlée, crème caramel, and caramel apples. Ice creams sometimes are flavored with or contain swirls of caramel.

Caramel is a sweet food.

Caramel may also refer to:

• Caramel (film), a 2007 film directed by Nadine Labaki
• "Caramel", a 2016 song by Corinne Bailey Rae from the album The Heart Speaks in Whispers
• "Caramel", a 1996 song by Suzanne Vega from the album Nine Objects of Desire
• "Caramel" (Blur song), a 1999 song by Blur
• "Caramel" (City High song), a 2001 song by City High featuring Eve
• "Caramel", a 2012 song by Booba
• Caramel (album), a 2013 album by New Zealand psychedelic pop musician Connan Mockasin
• Caramel Pictures, a film company producing commercials

Caramel is a 2007 Lebanese film — the first feature film by Lebanese director-actress Nadine Labaki. The film premiered on May 20 at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, in the Directors' Fortnight section. It ran for the Caméra d'Or.

Caramel was distributed in over 40 countries, easily becoming the most internationally acclaimed and exposed Lebanese film to date. The story focuses on the lives of five Lebanese women dealing with issues such as forbidden love, binding traditions, repressed sexuality, the struggle to accept the natural process of age, and duty versus desire. Labaki's film is unique for not showcasing a war-ravaged Beirut but rather a warm and inviting locale where people deal with universal issues.

The title Caramel refers to an epilation method that consists of heating sugar, water and lemon juice. Labaki also symbolically implies the "idea of sweet and salt, sweet and sour" and showcases that everyday relations can sometimes be sticky but ultimately the sisterhood shared between the central female characters prevails.

"Caramel" is a song by Blur, the tenth track on their 1999 album 13.

"Caramel" is the second single released from American R&B/ hip hop trio City High's self-titled debut album in 2001.The song was actually written based on the appearance and personality of Brian Gough, though he is actually 5'6'' with brown eyes not 5'5'' with brown eyes. It is the group's second most successful single, peaking at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks in the U.S. in January 2002.

The beat contains vocal samples from the song "Silent Treatment" by The Roots. The charted version was a remix featuring rapper Eve. The album version that did not chart replaces Eve's rap with the section of which Claudette Ortiz sings in Spanish. The remix version was done by Trackmasters.

Caramel is the second studio-album of New Zealand psychedelic pop musician Connan Mockasin, released in November 2013.

Mockasin has said that in terms of the process of writing the album:

"It's just ideas in my head that I put together, and later on it might make more sense. But I don't think about the meaning at the time. Or I'm not aware of it."

As of January 2014, the album has received an overall score of 70 on Metacritic, indicating generally favourable reviews. Pitchfork gave the album 6.7 out of 10, concluding: "The word "caramel" is most readily embodied by this music's sensual, flirtatious leanings. Unfortunately, sometimes it seems to just mean "slow", i.e. the pace of swimming through caramel." The New Zealand Listener gave the album a positive review, noting that although the album is strongly influenced by others, "Mockasin is writing his own recipe, and although his Caramel may be an acquired taste for some, it is an undeniably crucial concoction."