I Became a Food Developer in Another World

Chapter 44: Scurvy (2)

Candy existed in the other world.

However, the meaning of candy in this world was much different than in the previous life.

“I wonder if they’re using medicine to make candy, or if they’re using holy water to make a drink.”

‘……That’s right.’

Since alcohol is holy water, wouldn’t it be possible to distill alcohol from holy water?

I haven’t tried it yet because I’m afraid I’ll be called a blasphemer.

Anyway,

Much like Aria’s admiration, the perception of candy in the Otherworld was that it was a medicine, not a sweet.

Primarily used to treat colds and chills, Otherworldly doctors used candy to mask the unpleasant flavor of their medicines.

Candy was a “medicine” that covered the outer surface of medicinal substances with sugar to mask their bitter flavor.

Or, it was a “digestive aid” eaten after a meal, which is how the Otherworlders perceived candy.

Candy was not common until the large-scale cultivation of sugarcane using elves.

I capitalized on this perception of candy as a “medicine” to create the Sunkist candy.

The vitamin C that cures scurvy can be found in fruits like lemons and limes, and candy was one of the cheapest and easiest ways to supplement the juice of those fruits.

“Thank you very much, Wizard.”

“No, actually, I’m grateful to you, because you’ve made it easier for me to make candy.”

“Haha! It’s such a simple thing, anyone can do it.”

The big man laughed merrily.

He was Arsène Ruol, the head of Ruol Trading Company, a company that specialized in candy.

It was also the first shop in the world to start treating candy as a “symbol food”.

It was the first company in the world to treat candy as a “symbol food”.

“If it wasn’t for Mr. Yuri, my brother would have died of scurvy.”

“We’re lucky he’s still alive.”

Arsène almost lost his seaside brother to ‘scurvy’.

That’s why when I offered him the opportunity to produce Sunkist candy, he accepted with no strings attached.

“By the way, a candy with trapped juices is an amazing idea,” he says.

“Well, it occurred to me that there are medicinal properties in candy, and since fruit can cure scurvy, why not put fruit in candy?”

“Oh, that’s amazing.”

“…….”

The characteristic of Sunkist candy is the sweet “nectar” that bursts out of the candy when it is chewed.

It is a fruit candy, or “fruit candy”.

However, while there were sugar candies in the otherworld, there were no fruit candies.

Fruits could be picked and eaten, so it didn’t occur to anyone to put them in candy.

Furthermore, it was common knowledge that candy was filled with medicinal ingredients.

Fruit candy that contained fruit instead of medicinal herbs was a revolutionary product by otherworldly standards.

“Then please do me a favor.”

“Leave it to me.”

Arsène nodded with a confident demeanor.

*

The Ruol Trading Company was a top company with candy manufacturing facilities.

With the supply of citric acid, which is a key ingredient in modern candy making, Ruol quickly began mass-producing Sunkist candy.

The candy was then introduced to ship owners.

“What? Ten coppers?”

“You mean you can cure scurvy for 10 coppers?”

The reaction was overwhelming.

The price of lime, which had previously been said to cure scurvy, was 70 coppers.

But when the merchants realized that limes were selling well, they banded together and raised the price of limes to a whopping 1 silver (100 copper).

So while limes cost 1 silver each, Sunkist candies cost only 10 coppers each, a tenfold difference.

It’s no surprise that candy with juice was cheaper than fruit, but it was still a big difference.

“Better a pill than a fruit.”

“Who would pay a silver for a lime unless they were crazy?”

“Eh, thieves.”

The lime vendors were responsible for this price difference.

“Give me 20 bags of Sunkist!”

“We’ll buy every month, so sign a contract!”

Ship owners, of course, were thrilled with the overwhelming value for money of Sunkist candy.

So the ship owners bought tons of Sunkist candy, which was then distributed to the scurvy sailors.

“It’s candy!”

“What’s that, orange flavored?”

“Here’s one with lemon!”

The sailors’ eyes widened at the sight of candy with fruit, a cure for scurvy.

And then they were surprised again by the flavor of the next candy.

“What?! That’s a real burst of juice!”

“Yum, sweet.”

The sailors’ faces lit up as the candy cracked and the sweet juice spurted out.

“One pill a day like this? Isn’t that something you’re trying to eat all by yourself?”

“Oh, I’d like just one more.”

“Will you guys be responsible if you get scurvy from not having enough candy?”

“Uh, no.”

The sweetness of the candy was irresistible, but the fear of scurvy far outweighed it, and the sailors had to hold back.

The candy was a medicine to treat scurvy, not a treat.

Over the course of a month, anecdotal evidence showed that the candy was indeed effective against scurvy.

“Oooh, it’s really clearing my head.”

“Ugh, I feel a little better.”

And so, word got out that Sunkist candy was a scurvy cure, and the candy began to circulate among sailors.

But the candy was only a supplement, not a replacement for lime.

The sweet candy was thirst quenching, and water was a precious resource on long voyages.

So even with the advent of Sunkist candy, lime merchants still kept the price of a lime at one silver.

“Please don’t buy it, it will sell well even if you don’t buy it.”

“You don’t realize limes are a regular Navy resource.”

The lime merchants laughed at the haggling ship owners.

And then an event occurred that shocked the relaxed lime merchants.

[……Ruol Trading Company, Delmont Cold, a juiced lime drink, is now available!]

“What! A juice drink?”

“What kind of blatant lie……!”

The merchants didn’t believe it, accusing Ruol Trading Company of hype.

They had a point: fruit was a perishable food that couldn’t be preserved for long periods of time.

This was also the case with fruit juice, so fruit drinks were a product that could not be distributed.

However, Delmont was still fine three days after its release and even a week later.

It hadn’t spoiled and remained in the form of juice.

This was due to pasteurization, which had also been applied to Guinness, but it was a surprise to merchants who were unaware of it.

“I’ll lower the price of limes to 50 coopers!”

“Sure, let me see it.”

“Here it is.”

Pah!

“Aaaah!”

“I’m not buying!”

“It’s at half price!”

“That, that’s enough…!”

The merchants had to run away from the limes thrown at them by the ship owners.

This was the moment the culture of throwing fruit at the wrong person was established in the Empire.

The biggest distinction between otherworldly and modern processed foods was pasteurization.

Most beverages can be heated over low heat for 20 minutes or so to prevent spoilage and keep for a long time.

It’s a very simple knowledge, but the difference between knowing and not knowing about pasteurization is huge, and it translates into profits.

Of course, the fruit was generally expensive, but the raw materials were not difficult to source.

“I’ll buy from here to here.”

“You mean all of……?”

“Yes. I’d like to buy regularly, is that possible?”

“Go ahead, it’s possible.”

“Thank you and I look forward to seeing you in the future.”

We bought all the fruits according to the farm list from Trion and processed them into drinks.

Even though the fruit was expensive, we made a profit by turning it into drinks.

It was only a matter of time before the scurvy that was terrorizing the sailors disappeared.

As I thought about scurvy, I suddenly wondered.

“Dorian.”

“Yes.”

Dorian, who had been sitting at the table, studying the plans for the factory, looked up.

“You said you’ve been to the East, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“Then how did you survive without contracting scurvy?”

Dorian and other dwarves set out on long voyages all the time.

Humans had gotten into the sailing craze because they admired what they saw.

However, the dwarves were not susceptible to scurvy like humans, perhaps due to their different body structure.

So I asked if they were carrying any special food……..

“You’re not carrying food?”

“Yeah. But it rotted quickly, so we hunted and ate sea beasts along the way. The sea is full of food.”

“…….”

Who called the dwarves the clan of the earth?

*

It took three months for the ‘can factory’ to be established.

It was quite a large factory, covering a thousand square meters.

Dorian had designed it himself, so there was no doubt of its capabilities, but it would take time to get it running properly.

While waiting for the factory to be completed, winter arrived.

This winter was unusually cold, and with the colder weather, Coke sales naturally plummeted.

And I was well aware of how the Coca-Cola Company of my former life had overcome this crisis.

“Aria.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s shoot a commercial.”

“What commercial?”

“Polar bears.”