If the apple is the symbol of temptation, then a candy apple is the stuff of obsessive compulsion. In medieval Arabian cuisine, fruit was candied to preserve it, and over the past century Americans have translated that practice into gigantic apples covered with everything from red candy and caramel to chocolate, peanuts, popcorn, and more chocolate.

Making your own? Start with tart, firm apples, which offset the sweet coating. The best picks: Granny Smith, Gala, and McIntosh. Here's a Caramel Apples recipe.

“Toffee apple” was a slang term for a bomb used by soldiers in World War I.

Candy apples are popular around the world. They’re sold by bicycle vendors in China (they were once popular in opium dens), and they’re eaten in England to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day, on November 5, which commemorates a thwarted attempt to blow up Parliament in 1605.

Everything from a Kool-Aid flavor to a nail-polish shade has been named candy apple red. The evocative color has been used as a finish on a Fender Stratocaster guitar, and Joe Bailon, a legendary car customizer, created a classic finish of the same name, which he first applied to his 1950s Chevy coupe.