Why Do Cotton Candy Grapes Actually Taste Like Cotton Candy?

Cotton candy grapes are taking the world by storm because, well, they actually taste like cotton candy. How is this possible?

They are made by plant breeding, meaning that farmers who cultivate these grapes cross different types of grapes together. David Cain, a horticulturist, and his team at the International Fruit Genetics in Bakersfield, California mixed two types of grapes — a Concord-like grape and seedless Vitis vineferia, which is a grape vine commonly found in the Mediterranean.

Cain told NPR that the whole process takes at least six years — sometimes 15 years. But, it's worth it.

Companies like Grapery have varieties of flavored grapes, such as gum drops that taste like candy; moon drops, which are oblong; and witch fingers, which look like a bundle of purple fingers.

Cotton candy grapes season lasts from August 10 to September 20, so they are a late summer treat. They're also almost out of season and they've become very popular (who wouldn't want to eat a fruit that tastes like candy?), so they might be hard to get your hands on. But they're worth seeking out.