Why does the Vatican expect UFOs to smell like cotton candy?

Question

In the episode "U is for UFO," several individuals claim to have seen UFOs. The Vatican is interested in these claims for theological reasons, and they have an apparatus to test whether the people who claim to have seen these UFOs detected a particular scent. Later, when Kristen is testing the apparatus, she says that it smells like cotton candy, upon which David says that this is the same scent associated with the UFO sightings.

Why would the (alleged) UFOs smell like cotton candy? Is this based on some real-world UFO theories? A hint toward a non-alien explanation for the events?

Answer 1

Could be a reference to the Katsura Tree:

Katsura Tree is instrumental in Asian folklore and is incorporated in many ancient Chinese and Japanese legends, including an explanation for the shadow on the moon. Japanese folklore presents Katsura Tree as the means by which gods descended from the heavens and symbolized the joining of earth and sky.

That article further states that:

Fall foliage is fragrant; the smell of the leaves is likened to caramelized sugar.

So, like candy.