An unusual recipe featuring the popular Halloween treat candy corn has captured attention this week.
The Vulgar Chef shared his candy corn and cheese toasted sandwich on TikTok and Instagram where it has shocked and disgusted viewers.
A fall staple, candy corn has been in production since the late 1880s. First introduced under the name Chicken Feed, by the first half of the 20th century, candy corn had become a popular penny candy. While candy wasn't closely associated with Halloween at the time, it did appear more around the fall.
By the 1950s, candy corn had become a staple for Halloween. Today there is even a National Candy Corn Day to honor the sweet treat on October 30.
With thousands of followers across social media, The Vulgar Chef specializes in unusual and often disgusting food creations, including the stomach-churning Oreos with a mayonnaise filling.
Perhaps inspired by the season, his newest creation has appalled viewers as he put together bread, mayonnaise, cheese and candy corn before toasting them in butter.
"Straight to jail," said one commenter, while another wrote: "You're the worst person I know."
Another Instagram user dubbed the now-viral sandwich "illegal activity."
Kyle Marcoux, the brains behind The Vulgar Chef told Newsweek: "The Vulgar Chef is an obscure brand born out of my passion for creating unique and 'alarming' food content. It started like most good things—in my parents' basement in 2013 as a creative outlet for me to create food content."
The leading trade organization for the U.S. confectionery industry The National Confectioners Association (NCA) revealed that there may actually be a right way to eat candy corn.
In a survey, the NCA found that 33 percent of candy corn loyalists say you should start with the narrow white end, while just 16 percent start with the wider yellow end—but most popular was eating the whole piece at once with 51 percent of candy fans reporting this was the right way to do it.
Candy corn can be a divisive treat, but there is no doubt about its popularity as the NCA reported it is the second most popular candy for the Halloween season—right after chocolate.
"As far as taste goes—it was sweet. Very sweet," said Marcoux of his creation. "Imagine eating candy corn. Now imagine eating the most candy corn you've ever eaten all at the same time, between bread, with cheese."
Other commenters on the recipe video shared their shock.
"This might be the worst thing I've seen all year," said one horrified viewer.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more
