Candy

Even the earliest cultures who inhabited the earth were known to enjoy a sweet treat.  By digging honey out of bee hives, they were able to enjoy something sweet long before traditional candy was available. 

Recorded history traces the earliest forms of confectionery to Egyptian culture more than 3,500 years ago.  During ancient times Egyptians, Arabs and Chinese prepared confections of fruit and nuts candied in honey.  Licorice also has been used as a natural sweetener and flavor for hundreds of years.

Honey was used as the primary form of sweetening confections until cane sugar was traded outside its sub-tropical origins during the 11th century.  The introduction of sugar to the candy-making process allowed for the development of new confectionery types, different textures and manufacturing processes.  By the 13th century, Italy was known throughout the world as the sugar capital; its confectioners created brilliant edible sculptures of blown sugar, centerpieces of confectionery paste and delightful creations of spun sugar.  Sugar also was used to preserve fruits and nuts.  

Candy making developed rapidly in the early 19th century and the industrial revolution made mass production of candy possible.  By the end of the century, peppermints, lemon drops and other hard candies were available around the world, and the European upper class had an even wider variety of choices including gumdrops, candied fruits and pastilles.

In America at that time, there were more than 380 companies producing penny candy, sold by weight in glass jars at general stores and pharmacies.