How Did Candy Originate?

Almost in every country in ancient times people ate something that was like Candy. The excavations in Egypt, pictures and written records have been found to show candy and how it was made? The sugar refining was unknown at that stage of time. Honey was used as sweetener. The prominent ingredient of the candy in Egypt was dates.

In parts of the Eastern world, each tribe had its official candy-maker and secret recipes. In these regions, honey, almonds, and figs have since long been seen, and used in making candy. An ancient Roman recipe directs, nut meats and cooked poppy be boiled with honey, peppered and sprinkled with ground sesame softened with honey. Most probably the result would be a sort of nought.

In early times, in Europe, they had sweet syrup, and was used to hide the taste of medicines. Non thought of making candy for its own sake. In the 17th century, with the arrival of sugar from the colonies, candy-making began to be a separate art. The French candied fruits, and developed other recipes. One of these, a nut-and sugar-syrup sweet meat called “prawlings” may have been the ancestor of the famous New Orleans pralines.

During the colonial and later period, maple sugar, molasses, and honey were used in homemade sweetmeats. Our great grand-mothers candied iris root and ginger “varnished” apples and make rock candy.

Cane and beet sugars are the main ingredients used for the manufacturing of candy. These combined with corn syrup, corn sugar, corn starch, honey, maple sugar and molasses. The chocolates, fruits, eggs, nuts, milk, a particular variety of milk products, flavours and colours are added to the sweet base.

Some flavours are from natural source, such as Vanilla, peppermint lemon, and soon. There are other imitations of true flavours also.

There are more than 2,000 different flavours and in the United States more than 1,250,000 metric tonnes of the candy is produced annually.