Candy

Candy is a sweet confection made with sugar. Many types of candy exist—from chocolate bars to hard candy to lollipops to candy corn. Candy was first used for medicinal purposes but over time became the treat that it is known as in modern times. The first candy was very expensive and only the wealthy could afford it. Later, however, candy became more affordable and could be enjoyed by everyone. Candy sometimes gets a bad rap because of the amount of sugar in it; but candy is also associated with good behavior and is given as a reward for unpleasant experiences, such as getting a shot from the doctor. American holidays such as Halloween and Valentine's Day have become synonymous with candy.

History

Candy's origins date back to ancient times. Some of the first candies were fruits, flowers, and nuts mixed with honey. Chocolate also originates in ancient times. Cacao plants were found in what became Mexico around 1900 BCE. People ground the cacao beans into a paste, mixed it with honey and spices, and brewed it into a drinkable form of chocolate.

Sugar production began during the Middle Ages, but the price of sugar was so high at this time that only the wealthy could afford it and the sweets made from it. This continued until the seventeenth century when sugar prices began to drop, making candy more accessible. Chocolate and candy became very popular in Europe at this time, and both eventually made their way to the American colonies.

At this time, candy was considered a form of medicine with many doctors prescribing it for ailments such as a sore throat, chest pains, and digestive problems. Because medicinal herbs tasted bitter, many apothecaries added sugar to these mixtures to make them taste better. The American candy industry did not flourish until an invention from an apothecary named Oliver R. Chase, an Englishman who was working in Boston, Massachusetts. He invented a machine to cut lozenges in 1847. Afterward, Chase and his brother Silas founded the Chase and Company candy business. They made an array of different candies including their most popular, a thin, colored sugar wafer known as a Chase lozenge.

J.S. Fry & Sons, a British chocolate company, invented the first chocolate bar in 1847. It was made from a mixture of cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and sugar. Over the years, technological advancements aided the candy industry and eased the amount of work for candy makers. Candy makers could now use a conching machine to give chocolate a velvety texture and better taste. They could also use a steam pan to boil sugar. The heat from the pan did not require a person to continually stir boiling sugar, and the steam produced a more even heat that helped prevent the sugar from burning. After the American Civil War (1861–1865), sugar prices dropped, which allowed the candy industry to continue to prosper.

In 1866, Daniel Chase, the brother of Oliver and Silas Chase, invented a machine to stamp writing on candy. He used the machine to create heart-shaped candies with sayings on them, which became known as Sweethearts, or Conversation Hearts. The candies are still popular into the twenty-first century and are usually sold around Valentine's Day.

By this time, many other candy makers had emerged; the Cadbury, Mars, and Hershey companies were established and specializing in chocolate. Chase and Company merged with two other candy companies in 1901 to form the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO). The Chase lozenge eventually became known as the Necco Wafer. By this time, candy, which had been originally seen as a luxury, was mainstream and enjoyed by just about everyone.

Overview

In the 1964 film, Mary Poppins playfully sang "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," and in modern times, candy is still used for medicinal purposes. Pharmacies stock many medications that resemble candy such as gummy vitamins, chocolate laxatives, and sweet cough syrups and lozenges. Some pharmacies even add flavorings to some liquid prescriptions to make them taste better, which helps to encourage children to take these medications. In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an orange-flavored pill to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Some people believe this trend will continue, and other pleasant tasting medications will be manufactured.

In addition to its association with medicine, candy has become correlated to several American holidays. In the early twentieth century, prior to the popularity of Halloween, candy was synonymous with Christmas, Easter, and Valentine's Day. At these holidays, children received stockings filled with candy canes, hard candy, and chocolate; baskets filled with chocolate-molded bunnies and jellybeans; and hearts filled with chocolates. Even Washington's Birthday was celebrated with candy.

As time passed, Halloween eventually surpassed Easter and Christmas as the top candy holiday. Kids started dressing up in costumes and going trick-or-treating in the late 1930s. However, people gave the costumed children a variety of items, not just candy. Small toys, coins, nuts, fruits, and homemade cookies and cakes were some of the popular items placed in trick-or-treat bags. In addition, tricks and pranks were a main focus of the holiday. Children and young adults were more interested in creating mischief than gathering treats.

This changed in the 1950s, when American candy makers decided to begin marketing sweet confections for Halloween. Candy manufacturers began selling small bags of candy and smaller sized candy bars, which were the perfect size for giving to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Commercial candy did not catch on as the top treat for Halloween until the 1970s when fears arose that unwrapped or homemade treats could be easily tampered with and poisoned—a rational concern during this time. This eventually made commercially produced candy the best choice to give away for Halloween, a practice that continues into the twenty-first century.

Bibliography

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