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Did you know that prehistoric man chewed gum? Chewing gum has enjoyed a long history. Learn the interesting history of chewing gum.

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Kwanzaa (until Jan 1) in the United States

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Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday honoring African culture and traditions. It falls between December 26 and January 1 each year. Maulana Karenga, an African-American leader, proposed this observance and it was first celebrated between December 1966 and January 1967.

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The Official Kwanzaa Web Site - The Founder's Message 2000

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Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture - The Official Kwanzaa Website by Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder

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Allison Hope has worked in communications and journalism for nearly 15 years, with clips at the Washington Post, Slate, New York Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, among others.

Image: Ashley Britton/SheKnows

Hanukkah, or Chanukah, is soon upon us, and while kids who celebrate are well aware this means lots of gifts, they may not be familiar with the fascinating story behind how the holiday came to be - and the symbolism that dates back thousands of years.

Check out these crazy facts about Hanukkah that kids may not already know, plus some new and old traditions to fold into your festivities. But fair warning for the littles: It's a beautiful holiday that sprung from some pretty gruesome origins.
Hanukkah traditions for the whole family 1. It was all started by rebels with a cause
The story of Hanukkah dates back to the second century BC. That's when Jews rebelled against the Greek-Syrians - who had denied them the right to freely practice Judaism and had demanded that the Jews instead pray to Greek gods. The king's son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, descended upon then-Judea, aka today's Israel, and killed the Jews, destroying their temple and rubbing pigs' blood, a most offensive symbol, on its walls.
2. Our Hanukkah hero was the son of a preacher man
Judah Maccabee, the son of a Jewish priest, took up the cause - and in two years' time, he led an army that defeated the Greeks and took back their temple and city. His army was known as the Maccabees.
3. There were some magic lamps - but sadly, no genies - involved
When it came time to rededicate the temple after winning it back from the Greeks, the Maccabees found only enough oil to light their lamps for one night. In what is widely known as "the miracle of Hanukkah," the oil somehow lasted long enough for the lamp to burn for eight days and eight nights. That's why we light the menorah with nine candles for eight nights (the ninth is known as a shamash, or "head candle," and you use it to light the others).
4. It's on a different day every year - and you can blame the moon
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th in the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. Since the Hebrew calendar is lunar rather than solar, Hanukkah falls on a different day each year, anywhere from November to early January on the Roman calendar that most of us are familiar with. Sometimes Hanukkah falls closer to Thanksgiving than Christmas, and sometimes it overlaps with Christmas.
5. Today, we eat our "magic oil" instead of lighting it
While not at all a part of the original Hanukkah story or even a very old tradition, somewhere along the way, someone with a penchant for fried foods decided that making yummy stuff steeped in oil was a great way to honor the miraculous oil from the temple of olden days. And why not? The two foods most commonly associated with Hanukkah are latkes, or potato pancakes, and jelly doughnuts. So go ahead and enjoy some carb-on-carb action.
5. Hanukkah is a time for putting your money where your mouth is - literally.
The most common traditional Hanukkah gift can be easily found at your local drugstore: gold-colored foil-wrapped chocolate gelt, or money. It's often given along with or in place of real money. It's said that after the Maccabees were victorious against the Greeks, they started producing their own money for the first time. The tradition of actually giving kids coins on Hanukkah, though, started many centuries later: in Poland in the 1600s, when it was customary for schoolchildren to give their teachers money around Hanukkah. Those capitalistic kids, naturally, started to demand a handout for themselves as well, which led to the beginning of what is now a major tradition of gifting kids gelt (the kind that melts as well as the real stuff).
6. You basically play poker, only without the cards
In addition to the admittedly more dull part of Hanukkah, when you say the Hebrew prayer for the lighting of the candle, there are several traditions that are a lot of fun for the whole family. The dreidel game is one of these, and you can easily play it with as many (or as few) people as you like. All you need is the dreidel, which is a spinning toy similar to a top, and a pile of pennies or candy - or whatever you'd like to put in the pot. The dreidel has four sides, each with one Hebrew letter on it that symbolizes an action. Spin the dreidel, and if it lands on the "nun," you do nothing; on "shin" means you put one in; if you land on "he" you get half of what's in the middle; and the "gimel" facing up means you get the whole pot. Whoever has the most loot when the pot runs dry wins.

There are also easy songs the whole family can sing, including "Dreidel," "Oh Hanukkah" or everyone's favorite nontraditional ditty, "The Chanukah Song" by Adam Sandler.

All said, there are plenty of fascinating references and quirky traditions that have emerged from thousands of years of honoring and celebrating Hanukkah - and you can pass them all down to your little ones if you like. So take a cue from the above facts and feel free to mix up contemporary customs with legendary historical drama for a Hanukkah kids will be talking about until, well, the next one.

Image: Yvonna Groom/SheKnows

A version of this article was originally published in December 2008.

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Pigs' blood & doughnuts & miracles, oh my!

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Allison Hope has worked in communications and journalism for nearly 15 years, with clips at the Washington Post, Slate, New York Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, among others. Hanukkah, or Chanukah, is soon upon us, and while kids who celebrate are well aware this means lots of gifts, they may not be familiar with the fascinating story behind how the holiday came to be - and the symbolism that dates back thousands of years.

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Menorah definition is - a candelabra with seven or nine lights that is used in Jewish worship. The menorah and Hanukkah

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What is Mrs. Claus's job? - Just as Santa Claus is a bit of a mystery, so is his wife, Mrs. Claus! But we know a bit about what Santa does, both on Christmas Eve and year-round. So what about Mrs. Claus? What’s her job?? ...

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food humor Gingerbread Throughout History

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food humor cooking When did gingerbread first become associated with the holiday season and why are there so many variations? Read on for some delicious answers, whether you are dieting or no.

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recipe recipes food meal ideas menus chef recipies

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Genius Kitchen - Have Your Food And Watch It, Too

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Genius Kitchen has a massive collection of recipes that are submitted, rated and reviewed by people who are passionate about food. From international cuisines to quick and easy meal ideas, Genius Kitchen is where you can find what youre craving.

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Candy canes are a type of hard candy that usually has red and white stripes. This post will tell you who invented the candy cane and also look at some interesting facts about candy canes.
Who Invented the Candy Cane
Unfortunately, no one actually knows who invented the candy cane! In the 17th century, white blocks of candy were sold for children to enjoy. It is unclear who was the first person to start selling these blocks of candy. However, we do know that a choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany (his name is unknown) was the first to 'bend' the candy into the shape of a shepherd's cane. This was used as a symbol of Jesus Christ, who is called the 'Good Shepherd' in the Bible.
Facts About Candy Canes

Bob's Candies was the first company to mass-produce and distribute candy canes. They used cellophane to keep moisture from damaging the candy canes. This meant that they could ship them around America!

Some people use candy canes as a decoration on their Christmas trees.

Red stripes were added to candy canes in the early 1900′s. Before this, candy canes were just white sticks of candy. This is also the time when peppermint was added as a flavor!

Other Christmas Posts:
Easy Christmas Cookie Recipe Simple Ideas for Christmas Gifts

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Candy canes are a type of hard candy that usually has red and white stripes. This post will tell you who invented the candy cane and also look at some interesting facts about candy canes. Who Invented the Candy Cane Unfortunately, no one actually knows who invented the candy cane!

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Visit SpanglerCandy.com to learn about the history of the lollipop, lollipop inventors and more!

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Your trusted source for breaking news, analysis, exclusive interviews, headlines, and videos at ABCNews.com

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Many, many centuries ago, sometime around 400 BC, in the jungles of South and
Central America, the Cacao plant was discovered which in the ages to come would become the most desired foodstuff in the whole world.

The plant was found to have hard pods with each pod containing brown beans that later became the main ingredient in the making of chocolate. Cacao was a very important plant even then as it was actually used as money by the Mayans and later by the Aztecs.

Cacao made its way into Europe when Columbus returned to Spain and displayed a treasure trove of many strange and wonderful things from his travels before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Among these were a few dark brown beans that looked like almonds and seemed most unpromising. These were the cacao beans, the source of all chocolate and cocoa.

The King and Queen never dreamed how important these cacao beans could be. It remained for Hernan Cortez, the great Spanish explorer, to popularize this drink commercially.

During his conquest of Mexico, Cortez found the Aztec Indians serving a drink made of these beans to Montezuma, the Aztec ruler. This drink was called "chocolatl" by the Indians, meaning warm liquid. In 1519, Montezuma served this drink chocolatl to his Spanish guests in great golden goblets, treating it like a food for the gods.

For all its regal importance, however, Montezuma's chocolatl was very bitter, and the Spaniards did not like its bitterness. To make the mixture more agreeable, Cortez sweetened it with sugarcane.

When they took this drink back to Spain, the idea found favour and the drink underwent several more changes with newly discovered spices, such as cinnamon and vanilla. Ultimately, someone decided the drink would taste better if served hot.

The new drink soon won favour, especially among the Spanish aristocracy. Spain proceeded to plant cacao in its overseas colonies, which gave birth to a very profitable business. Remarkably enough, the Spanish succeeded in keeping the art of the cocoa industry a secret from the rest of Europe for nearly a hundred years.

Spanish monks, who had been consigned to process the cacao beans, finally let the secret out. It did not take long before chocolate was acclaimed throughout Europe as a delicious, health-giving food.

Drinking chocolate or what was called cocoa, was made possible with the invention of the cocoa press. The press helped to improve the quality of the beverage by squeezing out part of the cocoa butter, the fat that occurs naturally in these beans. From then on, drinking chocolate had more of the smooth consistency and the pleasing aroma it has today.

The 19th century marked two more revolutionary developments in the history of chocolate. In 1847, an English company called Fry and Sons introduced solid "eating chocolate" through the development of fondant chocolate. This was a smooth and velvety variety that has almost completely replaced the old coarse-grained chocolate that formerly dominated the world market.

The second development occurred in 1875 in Vevey, Switzerland, when Daniel Peter devised a way of adding milk to the chocolate, creating the product we enjoy today known as milk chocolate.
Make your own chocolate fudge
A popular delicacy, chocolate fudge is the easiest thing to make.

Mix one spoon of chocolate powder, two cups of castor sugar, one cup of white butter, 3/4th cup milk, and a few drops of vanilla essence.

Boil it until the mixture thickens. Then, remove it from fire and beat with a wooden spoon until it is nearly cold. It should be very creamy when done.

Next, pour the material on to a buttered plate or tin and allow it to set. Your chocolate fudge is now ready to be cut and eaten.

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Many, many centuries ago, sometime around 400 BC, in the jungles of South and Central America, the Cacao plant was discovered which in the ages to come would become the most desired foodstuff in the whole world. The plant was found to have hard pods with each pod containing brown beans that later became the main ingredient in the making of chocolate.

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A timeline of the American candy industry, including a brief history of retro candy starting in the 1800s. Learn all about retro candy at CandyFavorites.com

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ABOUT WHITE CHOCOLATE
White chocolate is a confection that (until recently) has not been specifically defined. Culinary evidence confirms this product may, or may not, contain a chocolate derivative (cocoa butter, for example). Early 20th century companies marketed this product "vanilla chocolate." Interestingly enough it was promoted as health food.
Recipes for "vanilla tablets" appear in cookbooks published by chocolate manufacturers. Vanilla tablets/Walter Baker & Company [1913]
Choice Recipes/Water Baker [promotional booklet]

A cheap vanilla chocolate (wholesale)
35 pounds sugar
17 pounds corn syrup
1 1/2 gallons water
Cook to 238 degrees; pour on dampened cream slab and when lukewarm stir into a creamy consistency.
Now take:
20 pounds sugar
10 pounds corn syrup
3 quarts water
Cook to 238 degrees, then remove from the fire and add the first batch which has been creamed. When the batches are thoroughly mixed, add 5 pounds of Mazetta Creme and 2 ounces of extract of vanilla. When well mixed, set entire batch over a steam bath and get quite hot, then cast in starch and when set dip in chocolate. You may make any flavor desired by blending flavor when the Mazetta Creme is added."
--- Rigby's Reliable Candy Teacher, W. O. Rigby, 19th edition [1916?] (p. 98)

So what exactly IS white chocolate? U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently defined this product and set forth standards for its manufacture. They can be found in 21 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 163.124:

"Sec. 163.124 White chocolate. (a) Description. (1) White chocolate is the solid or semiplastic food prepared by intimately mixing and grinding cacao fat with one or more of the optional dairy ingredients specified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section and one or more optional nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners and may contain one or more of the other optional ingredients specified in paragraph (b) of this section. White chocolate shall be free of coloring material. (2) White chocolate contains not less than 20 percent by weight of cacao fat as calculated by subtracting from the weight of the total fat the weight of the milkfat, dividing the result by the weight of the finished white chocolate, [[Page 62178]] and multiplying the quotient by 100. The finished white chocolate contains not less than 3.5 percent by weight of milkfat and not less than 14 percent by weight of total milk solids, calculated by using only those dairy ingredients specified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, and not more than 55 percent by weight nutritive carbohydrate sweetener. (b) Optional ingredients. The following safe and suitable ingredients may be used: (1) Nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners; (2) Dairy ingredients: (i) Cream, milkfat, butter; (ii) Milk, dry whole milk, concentrated milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk; (iii) Skim milk, concentrated skim milk, evaporated skim milk, sweetened condensed skim milk, nonfat dry milk; (iv) Concentrated buttermilk, dried buttermilk; and (v) Malted milk; (3) Emulsifying agents, used singly or in combination, the total amount of which does not exceed 1.5 percent by weight; (4) Spices, natural and artificial flavorings, ground whole nut meats, ground coffee, dried malted cereal extract, salt, and other seasonings that do not either singly or in combination impart a flavor that imitates the flavor of chocolate, milk, or butter; (5) Antioxidants; and (6) Whey or whey products, the total amount of which does not exceed 5 percent by weight. (c) Nomenclature. The name of the food is ``white chocolate'' or ``white chocolate coating.'' When one or more of the spices, flavorings, or seasonings specified in paragraph (b)(4) of this section are used, the label shall bear an appropriate statement, e.g., ``Spice added'', ``Flavored with ------ '', or ``With ------ added'', the blank being filled in with the common or usual name of the spice, flavoring, or seasoning used, in accordance with Sec. 101.22 of this chapter. (d) Label declaration. Each of the ingredients used in the food shall be declared on the label as required by the applicable sections of parts 101 and 130 of this chapter. Dated: September 27, 2002. Margaret M. Dotzel, Associate Commissioner for Policy. [FR Doc. 02-25252 Filed 10-3-02; 8:45 am]"
[NOTE: This excerpted from White Chocolate; Establishment of a Standard of Identity, Federal Register, October 4, 2002.]

About white chocolate & the 1980s: "So called "white chocolate" is made out to cacao butter only, but in the United States it must be called "White confectionery coating," since it contains no cacao solids and therefore does not fit the legal requirements for "chocolate." It has the disadvantage of a relatively short shelf-life and a tendency to pick up foreign flavors." --- The True History of Chocolate, Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe [Thames and Hudson:New York] 1996 (p. 29)
[NOTE: this book is THE definative history of chocolate. Ask your librarian to help you find a copy]

Related food? White chocolate mousse

Bridge mix
The earliest print reference we find for Bridge Mix, combinations of chocolate, fruits and nuts, is 1927. Our cookbooks from the 1920s-1950s confirm bridge parties were very popular in this period. Instructions for serving luncheon, dinner, buffet and snacks for bridge guests regularly appear. The concept of "Bridge Mix" makes perfect sense in context. Small pieces that do not leave any residue on ones fingers is preferable to card players. We do not find any company, person, or place claiming to have invented the name or product. Nor is there any set traditional combination of confections composing this item.
Related item? TV Mix.

Early peanut brittle recipes

[1847]
"An Excellent Receipt for Groundnut Candy
To one quart or molasses add half a pint of brown sugar and a quarter of a pound of butter; boil it for half an hour over a slow fire; then put in a quart of groundnuts, parched and shelled; boil for a quarter of an hour, and then pour it into a shallow tin pan to harden."
---The Carolina Housewife, Sarah Rutledge, facsimile copy 1847 edition, with an introduction by Anna Wells Rutledge [University of South Carolina Press:Columbia] 1979 (p. 219)
[1908] "Peanut candy.
Have ready one cupful of peanuts shelled and chopped. Be sure you are rid of all the brown skins. Put one cupful of white sugar in a hot iron frying plan and stir until it is dissolved. Add the peanuts and turn immediately. As it cools cut into squares."
--- The Evening Telegram Cook Book, Emma Paddock Telford [Cupples & Leon:New york] 1908 (p. 157)

[1919] "Peanut brittle.
5 pounds sugar
2 1/2 pounds corn syrup
1 1/2 pints water
Cook and boil and then add 3 pounds Spanish shelled peanuts, and stir and cook until peanuts are done, then set kettle off fire and stir in it 1/2 teaspoonful of baking soda. After the soda is well stirred, drop in a little more soda, about 1/4 teaspoonful, and stir good. Pour on the slab and spread as thin as possible. When partly cold turn batch over. By adding soda as above batch will be the same color on both sides, not yellow on one side and brow on the other."
--- Rigby's Reliable Candy Teacher, W. O. Rigby, 19th ed., [1919?] (p. 160-1)
[NOTE: this book also contains a recipe for non-sugar peanut brittle. This is not a diabetic alternative. It substitutes corn syrup and molasses for refined white sugar.]

[1942]
"Peanut Brittle I
Sugar, 2 cups
Water, 2/3 cup
Cream of tartar, 1/4 teaspoon
Molasses, 2 tablespoons
Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
Cream, 2 tablspoons
Baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon
Peanuts, shelled, 1 cup
Combine sugar, water and cream of tartar in a heavy saucepan. Plce over low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved; cook without stirring to 280 degrees F. (brittle). Wipe down crystals from sides of pan with a damp cloth wrapped around the tines of a fork. Add molasses, salt and cream. Cook slwoly to 290 degrees F., stirring slowly but constantly. Remove from stove. Quickly stir in soda and peanuts. (Be sure that soda is free from lumps. Pour onto an oiled surface--a shallow pan or marble slab--in a very thin layer. When cool enough to handle, the brittle may be grasped at the edges and stretched into a very thin sheet. When cold break into medium-sized pieces. Note: If peanuts are raw, add a sirup at 250 degrees F. instead of at the end. Makes about 1 pound."
--- Woman's Home Companion Cook Book [P.F. Collier & Son:New York] 1942 (p. 788-789) [NOTE: Peanut Brittle II consists of sugar, baking soda and peanuts only. This book also offers recipes for coconut brittle, Chocolate-Nut Brittle and Bran-Nut Brittle.]

[1957]
"Peanut Brittle
2 cups Karo, blue label
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups roasted peanuts
Combine the Karo and sugar and boil to 270 degrees F. or until brittle when a little is dropped in cold water. Stir in soda, peanuts and vanilla, spread thin on large pan well oiled with Mazola."
--- 49 Delightful Ways to Enjoy Karo, Corn Products Company, 1957 (p. 14)

Related foods? Comfits (which later evolved into sugarplums), pralines & benne seed wafers.

Colonial American confectioners & candy shops
Food historians confirm professional confectioners (candy, cakes, cookies, ice cream) existed in mid-18th century London. Elizabeth Raffald was one such confectioner. Not so much for Colonial America. In our country at that time most confections were made at home. Our research finds American confectioners did not become a viable industry in their own right until the early 1800s. The original American confectionery epicenter was Philadelphia. At that time, confectionery wares included candy, cakes, cookies, sugar work, preserved (candied/sugared) fruit, and ice cream. Chocolate makers were a separate trade primarily concerned with importing large quantities of product for resale. Professional confectioners in the 18th century (Old World & New) generally learned their trade via apprenticeship. Long hours, hard work, and minimal pay counterbalanced room, board and master craftsman hands-on training. For free Colonial-American era smart young folks, apprenticeship of any kind was the ticket to prosperity.

While it is possible that some urban centers had confectionery shops during Colonial American times, "penny candy" became popular in the 19th century, during the Victorian era.

Early American candy (Colonial era-Civil War)
Sugar candy (including molasses and maple), candied fruits & flowers (a Renaissance-era favorite), sugar coated nuts (comfits), marzipan (almond paste), and toffee were all enjoyed by Americans in 17th and 18th centuries. Period cooking texts typically group candy with"sweet meats" or confectionery. Sweet meats also included preserves, jams, jellies, syrups, small cakes/cookies, ice cream and sherbet. Some of the candies we Americans enjoy today (liquorice, marshmallows, hard candies, peppermint) were originally used for medicinal purposes. "Recipes" for these items were often included in medical texts as well as cookbooks. A wide variety of different types of sugar were used to make these candies.

What kinds of candy did the first Americans eat? Native Americans in the northern regions were adept at tapping maple trees for syrup. Chocolate began as a beverage. By the 1840s, eating chocolate was introduced. European settlers introduced the foods they enjoyed in the Old World. The following confections were known in Medieval and Renaissance Europe:
How & where were these candies made?
"Confectionery was another art practiced by efficient housewives. It took several forms. Whole fruits or berries cooked and stored in syrup were called preserves. Mashed, they became marmalade, conserve, or jam. "Dried" (that is, candied like modern crystallized fruit) they were confections or sweetmeats. When their juices were mixed with syrup and reduced sufficiently to form hard candies, they were chips; when mashed pulp was used in the same way, they were called pastes. Strained juices were also used to make jelly, as in modern practice, and there were fruit and berry syrups. Brandied fruits were prepared by adding brandy to the syrup in which whole fruits were stored. Mrs. Randolph's selection of recipes, reflecting Virginia tastes at the end of the [18th] century, emphasized preserves-- peaches, pears, quinces, cherries, strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, and sweet tomato marmalade. Her preserving kettle was made of bell metal, "flat at the bottom, very large in diameter, but not deep," with a tight-fitting cover and "handles at the sides of the pan, for taking it off with ease wthen the syrup boils too fast." Other desirable equipment included a large chafing dish with long legs "for the convenience of moving it to any part of the room," a ladle "the size of a saucer, pierced and having a long handle" for "taking up the fruit without syrup," small glasses or pots of a maximum two-pound capacity, and "letter paper wet with brandy" to cover the containers...Mrs. Custis' "Book of Sweetmeats" reflected the elegance and artificiality of tastes in Queen Anne's court. In addition to the conventional preserves, she included the more elaborate confectionery that usued flowers and herbs, roots and nuts as well as fruits and berries in a variety of crystallized preparations and hard candies to decorate dessert tables...Walnuts and almonds, eryngo and ginger roots, angelica stalks and roots, and marjoram and mint leaves were sometimes crystallized. Mrs. Custis also chopped or mashed them and stirred them into a manus Christi syrup, which was dripped into "rock candies" or "cakes" about the size of a sixpence. Fruit juices carefully strained produced clear drops and cakes. The pulp of fruits and berries, treated like almond paste in marchpane, made pastes in a great variety of flavors and colors: apricots, peaches, pears, plums, quinces, pippins, raspberries, gooseberries, barberries, cherries, oranges, lemons. Even more decorative was Paste Royall, printed in molds and then gilded."
---Colonial Virginia Cookery, Jane Carson [Colonial Williamsburg Foundation:Williamsburg VA] 1985 (p. 120-122)
A survey of candy recipes published in cookbooks used by early American cooksbr>[1753]
Red crisp almonds or Prawlings (pralines)
Iced almonds (iced with sugar)
Candied cherries
Candied orange peel
Candied ginger
Barley sugar (a precursor to toffee)
March-pane (marzipan)
Pastils (soft gum-like candy)
Comfits
--- The Lady's Companion, [London:1753] 6th edition
[NOTE: Colonial-era cooks used books they brought from home. Many of these were published in London.]

[1749-1799]
Candied flowers (roses, marigolds, violets, rosemary--yes! Real flowers!)
Candied ginger
Suckets (candied fruits, oranges and lemons were most popular)
Sugar candy (boiled refined sugar)
Losenges (diamond shaped sugar candy...think of today's throat lozenge...flavored with orange, lemon, rose water)
Fruit pastes (dried, thin sheets of pounded fruit...think of today's "Fruit Roll-ups"...made with real apricots, peaches, raspberries, gooseberries, apples, plums, quinces, oranges, lemons)
Marchpan (aka marzipan; almond paste which was often colored and deoratively shaped)
--- Martha Washington's Book of Cookery, transcribed by Karen Hess [Columbia University Press:New York] 1995
[NOTE: If you want to see these recipes ask your librarian can help you find a copy of this book.]

[1792]
Lemon and orange peel candied
Melon citron candied
Anglelica candied
Cassia candied
Orange marmalade
Apricot marmalade
Red quince marmalade
White quince marmalade
Raspberry paste
Currant paste
Gooseberry paste
Orange chips
Apricot chips
Ginger tablet
--- The New Art of Cookery According to the Present Practice, Richard Briggs [W. Spotswood, R. Campbell, and B. Johnson:Philadelphia] 1792

[1847]
Kisses & meringues (sweet, frothy egg white confections; some have hazel nut or cocoanut centers)
Coconut candy
Lemon candy
Cream candy
Common twist (like candy canes/sticks)
Peppermint, rose or horehound candy
Molasses candy (taffy)
Candied orange or lemon peel
--- Mrs. Crowen's American Lady's Cookery Book, Mrs. T. J. Crowen [Dick & Fitzgerald:New York] 1847

Need to make something for class? Selected modernized recipes:
...while most of these candies were enjoyed throughout the country, those with specific colony/state designations in their respective cookbooks are noted."Nut Sweet
2 cups maple sugar (or brown sugar)
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup hickory nuts, or walnuts, broken. In a saucepan combine sugar, water, and butter. Cook over low heat until a candy thermometer inciates 238 degrees F., or until the syrup dropped in cold water forms a soft ball. Add the nuts. remove from heat and stir until the candy is thick. Drop in spoonsful onto waxed paper and let the patties harden."
--- The Thirteen Colonies Cookbook, Mary Donovan et al [Montclair Historical Society:Montclair NJ] 1976 (p. 77) [Connecticut]

"Candied Peel
Cut rind of 8 oranges into quarters. Cover with cold water. Brink slowly to the boiling point. Remove pan from fire. Drain well. Repat this process, boiling the orange peel in a total of 5 waters. Drain well each time. With scissors, cut into strips or leaf designs. Make a syrup with 1/4 cut water and 1/2 cup sugar. Add the peel and boil until all the syrup is absorbed. Cool briefly. When thorouhgly dry, the peel may be dipped in chcoolate coating. Peel may also be rolled in freshly grated coconut, then sugared. Store in airtight tins, or freeze."
--- ibid (p. 115) [New Jersey]

"Apricot Leather
Wash 1 package dried apricots and put them in water to soak overnight. Next morning, bring apricots and water to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and drain thoroughly. (Be sure all the water has drained off.) mash the apricots through a sieve, or belnd in a blender until smooth. Measure pulp: return it to the saucepan and add 1 part sugar to every 3 parts pulp. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly (at thsis tage the mixture may burn easily, so stir carefully.) Let the mixture cool for 15 minutes; then spread almost paper thin on a large piece of glass, marble slab, or aluminum cookie sheet. Form a rectangular shape. Place in a warm dry room (an attic is excellent) to dry for 1 to 2 days (it should be pliable enough to roll). Cut the leather into 3-inch squares, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and roll tightly into rolls about the size of a small pencil. Roll in granulated sugar and stroe in a tightly closed box."
--- ibid (p. 251) [Georgia]

"Hoarhound Candy
Some of the candies which were made in colonial kitchens were very simple mixtures of sugar, water, and herbs. This candy was a confection as well as a lozenge for colds and sore throats.
3 ounces hoarhound
3 cups water
3 1/2 pounds brown sugar
Add hoarhound to hot water and simmmer for 20 minutes. Stain and add sugar. Cook until syrup forms a hard ball when dropped into cold water or until candy thermometer registers 265 degrees F. Pour into a buttered pan. When cooled, form into small balls or cut into squares. makes about 5 sozen pieces."
--- Foods from the Founding Fathers, Helen Newbury Burke [Exposition Press:Hicksville NY] 1978 (p. 141) [Rhode Island]

"Molasses Candy
2 cups molasses
2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Boil ingredients until brittle when tried in cold water. Pour into hot, buttered pan; pull when cool enough to handle."
--- ibid (p. 141) [Rhode Island]

"Benne (Sesame) Brittle
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups parched benne seed (roasted)
Melt the sugar in a heavy frying pan or saucepan over a low heat, stirring constantly. When sugar is melted, remove from stove, then add benne seed and vanilla quickly. Pour into a well-buttered pan to about 1/4 inch depth (a medium-size biscuit pan is right). Mark into squares while warm and break along lines when cold. Makes 8-10 squares."
--- ibid (p. 244) [South Carolina]

"Hickory Nut Creams
3 cups brown sugar
1 cup cream or evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups hickory nuts
Stir sugar and cream together until sugar dissolves. Boil to 234 degrees F. or until a little of the mixture forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water. Cool to lukewarm. Add vanilla, butter, and nuts, and beat until creamy. Drop from spoon on waxed paper. makes 3 dozen creams."
--- ibid (p. 316) [Philadelphia]

"Spiced Walnuts
1/4 pound walnut halves
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 tablespoon water
1 egg white
Heat nuts in 350 degree F. oven for a few minutes. Sift together three times the sugar, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Add awater to egg whtie and beat until frothy (not stuff). Dip nuts in egg mixture and roll in spices. Cover bottom of baking sheet with leftover sugar and spices. Arrange nuts over top. Sift remaining sugar over them. Bake at 275 degrees F. for 1 hour. Remove from oven and shake off excess sugar."
--- ibid (p. 316) [Philadelphia]

"Pralines
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients except vanilla. Bring to a boil and boil for exactly 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and beat until smooth and creamy. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Makes 2 to 3 dozen."
--- A Cooking Legacy, Virginia T. Elverson & Mary Ann McLanahan [Walker and Company:New York] 1975 (p. 167)

"Apricot Sweetmeats
1 pound dried apricots, ground
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
pecan or walnut halves, or almonds
superfine granulated sugar
Combine apricots, granulated sugar and orange juice in a saucepan. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper. When cool, place a pecan or walnut half or an almond in the center, rolling apricot mixture around it. Drop each ball into superfine granulated sugar to coat completely. Pack in a tightly covered container to store. Makes 3 dozen."
--- ibid (p. 166)

When was "eating chocolate" introduced to America?
The bookChocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage/Louis Evan Grivetti editor [Wiley & Sons:New York] 2009 offers chapter 26 Chocolate Manufacturing and Marketing in Massachusetts, 1700-1920, by Anne Blaschke (p. 345-358) & chapter 27 oston Chocolate: newspaper Articles and Advertisements, 1705-1825, Louis Even Grivetti (p. 359-373). This scholarly reference text provides full citations to all materials. Ms. Blaschke offers this snippet about Bakers Chocolate suggesting the year was 1845:
There is quite a sale in Boston--by all retail grocers--to children & others--at a cent a stick for small & two cents for large sticks. I learned to make them in London, and there as in Boston the sticks are piled in the retail shop window, cross each other, & rather ornament the store. If it be no trouble, you could hand to some of your best customers some of the sticks--always to be eaten raw or melted on the tongue to taste; & children once getting the taste would purchase them for enough; being much more healthy & suitable for them than Candy or Sugar Plums etc. (p. 351)
Modern American candy (Post Civil War--1920s)
Chocolate covered ants
Our research confirms chocolate covered ants were a novelty food in the United States in the late 1950s. These exotic morsels were promoted by gourmet imported food shops as items to *surprise* guests. Mostly? These critter snacks appealed to men. The earliest reference in theNew York Times is this article from 1956: Chocolate is a "New World" food originating in South America. It was first consumed in liquid form by the Ancient Mayans and Aztecs. Spanish explorers introduced chocolate to Europe, where it was likewise appreciated and esteemed. Chocolate candy made its debut in the middle of the 19th century (Cadbury). At that time, it was very expensive and out of the reach of most people. The Industrial Revolution enabled the chocolate industry to grow and flourish. By the end of the 19th century chocolate was enjoyed by "the masses" (Hershey). Cream candies ultimately trace their roots to Medieval and Renaissance soft cream fillings used to compose trifle and fill pastries. Later developments included creme brulee and caramel cream. Chocolate-coated cream candies of all kinds were extremely popular in the late 19th/early 20th centuries.

According to the food historians, chocolate truffles were named thusly because the finished product resembles the naturally occuring, expensive fungus of the same name. About fungus truffles. Alan Davidson's Oxford Companion to Food states this candy became popular in the 1920s.

"Many who have never encountered vegetable truffles have tucked into confectioners' truffles, sweets the colour and shape of black truffles, made from a mixture of chocolate, sugar, and cream (and often rum) and covered with a dusting of cocoa powder or tiny chocolate strands. These are, of course, a much more recent phenomenon; they made their first appearance in an Army and Navy Stores catalogue for 1926-7."
--- An A-Z of Food and Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 351)

While references to early 19th century chocolate truffles can be found in some books on American food history, it is unlikely the confection, as we know it today, existed that early. Possibly these authors are referring to chocolate creams, a related confection. The earliest authentic/historic recipe we have for chocolate truffles dates to the 1920s:

"Chocolate truffles. Dip a plain vanilla cream center, one as small as possible in milk chocolate coating, then before the coating dries, roll each piece in macaroon cocoanut so that the cocoanut sticks to the chocolate. Now lay them on a cheet of wax paper and allow to dry."
---Rigby's Reliable Candy Teacher, W.O. Rigby, 19th edition (undated, early 1920s probably) (p. 84)
Cotton candy
Most people think the origin of cotton candy (also known as spun sugar" "fairy floss" or "candy floss") is a simple documented fact. It's not. There are several stories recounting the invention of cotton candy. All are interesting. None are definitive. Most accounts credit the invention of cotton candy to enterprising American businessmen at the turn of the 20th century. The 1904 Louisiana Exposition in St. Louis is often cited as the place where cotton candy was introduction to the American people.
The truth? Spun sugar was known long before this time. Mid-18th century master confectioners in Europe and America hand crafted spun sugar nests as Easter decorations and webs of silver and gold spun sugar for elaborate dessert presentations. At that time, spun sugar was an expensive, labor-intensive endeavor and was not generally available to the average person. How was spun sugar made before the invention of modern machines?

[1769]
"To spin a Silver Web for covering Sweetmeats
Take a quarter of a pound of treble-refined sugar in one lump, and set it before a moderate fire on the middle of a silver salver or pewter plate. Set it a little aslant, and when it begins to run like clear water to the edge of the plate or salver, have ready a tin cover or china bowl set on a still, with the mouth downward close to your sugar that it may not cool by carrying too far. Then take a clean knife and take up as much of the syrup as the point will hold, and a fine thread will come from the point, which you must draw as quicky as possible backwards and forwards and also around the mould, as long as it will spin from the knife. Be very careful you do not drop the syrup on the web, if you do it will spoil it. Then dip your knife into the syrup again and take up more, and so keep spinning till your sugar is done or your web is thick enough. Be sure you do not let the knife touch the lump on the plate that is not melted, it will make it brittle and not spin at all. If your sugar is spent before your web is done put fresh sugar on a plate or salver, and not spin from the same plate again. If you don't want the web to cover the sweetmeats immediately, set it in a deep pewter from getting to it, and set it before the fire, it requires to be kept warm or it will fall. When your dinner or supper is dished, have ready a plate or dish of the size of your web filled with different coloured sweetmeats, and set your web over it. It is pretty for a middle, where the dishes are few, or corner where the number is large." ---The Experienced English Housekeeper, Elizabeth Raffald, with an introduction by Roy Shipperbottom [Southover Press:East Sussex UK] 1996 (p. 92)
[NOTE: this book also has instructions for a gold web and to make a Dessert of Spun Sugar.]
[1864]
On sugar spinning
The Complete Confectioner, Pastry Cook and Baker, J.M. Sanderson [Lippincott:Philadelphia] (p. 33+)

[1894]
Spun Sugar for Ornamental Purposes
--Required: loaf sugar and half its weight in water. The best cane sugar should be used, as failure if almost sure with inferior sugar. This is to be put in a copper pan and brought to the boil, and freed from any scum thay may rise. When the surface begins to look bubbly it is nearly ready. To test it, dip a knife or the end of a steel in cold water, and be sure that it is cold, or a mistake may arise; then dip this in the boiling sugar, then in cold water again, and if it is brittle, and leaves the knife or steel, it is done; should it cling an be soft it must be boiled longer. When it is done, take small portions and pass it quickly to and fro to form threads over an oiled rolling pin held in the left hand. A fork is best to use to take up the sugar. Should this be intended for "draping" a vol-au-vent or other sweet, the pin should be moved, so that the sugar falls into position, and is not handled. To be explicit, as it leaves the pin it is wound round the sweet. There is considerable art in this operation, and it is quite likely that a number of failures will precede success; it is one of those branches of the cuisine that require a practical lesson. It is always well to rub a little oil on the hands and wrists in the case the sugar should splash them, and by standing on a stool, holding the left arm low, and moving the right hand high in the air, the work is facilitated."
--- Cassell's New Universal Cookery Book, Lizzie Heritage [Cassell and Company:London] (p. 811)

Cotton candy, as fair food, began when W.J. Morrison and J.C. Wharton (Nashville, TN) patented the first electric machine for spinning sugar into edible threads in 1897. This machine produced cotton candy quickly in mass quantities. The machine was portable, the process was novel, the appeal was universal. Perfect fair food. Notes from the original patent:

Candy Machine
To all whom it may concern; Be it known that we, William J. Morrison and John C. Wharton, citizens of the United States, residing at Nashville, in the County of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Candy-Machines, of which the following is a specification. Our invention relates to improvements in candy-making, or, as commonly called, "candy-machines," in which a revolvable or rotating pan or vessel containing cand or melted sugar causes the said candy or melted sugar to form into masses of thread-like or silk-like filaments by the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the vessel. The object of our invention is to obtain an edible product consisting of the said filaments of melted and "spun" sugar or candy."
---U.S. Patent #618,428 January 31, 1899. Application filed December 23, 1897.
[NOTE: you can view the full image of this patentonline. Accessible by patent number only, requires special viewing software.]
Skuse's Complete Confectioner [London, undated, probably late 1890s/early 1900s] contains similar instructions on page 71:

Sugar Candy, Pink and White
Sugar candy is made in a variety of colours. The foreign, which is imported in large quantities, varying in shades between very dark brown and pale yellow, the prices charged for these qualities being very little above the sugar value, therefore unprofitable to make, but the pink and white candy is not so common, and generally command a renumerative figure, besides being attractive as a window decoration. The process is simple and interesting. Copper pans are sold by machinists for the purpose, but for small makers a rough coller or white metal pan will answer, so long as its sides are a little wider at the top than the bottom, in order that the crystalized sugar may fall out unbroken. Perforate the pan with small holes, about three inches apart, pass a thread through from one hole to another, so that the thread runs at equal distances throughout the centre of the pan, then stop up the holes from the outside with a thin coating of beeswax and resin to keep the syrup from running through. When the pan has been got ready, boil sufficient sugar to fill it, in the proportion of 7-lbs. sugar to 3 pints of water, to the degree of thread, or 230; then pour the contents into the pan and stand it on the drying room for three or four days; when the crystals are heavy enough, which you can tell by examining them, pour off the superfluous syrup; rinse the candy in lukewarm water and stand it in the drying room till dry. To make the pink, of course, colour the syrup, but be careful in tinging it very lightly. N.B.-When goods are undergoing the process of crystalizing, the vessel in which they are must not be disturbed."

In the dawning years of the 20th century cotton candy was also sold in sweet shops and department store candy counters. A Wanamaker's advertisement announcing the acquisition of "A Wonderful Candy Machine" ran in the New York Times February 11, 1905 (p.4). Price of their cotton candy? 5-10 cents, probably depending upon size.

Bruce Feiler's notes debunking the popular history of cotton candy:

" The Dictionary of American Food and Drink reports that the item [cotton candy] originated in 1900 at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus, when snack vendor Thomas Patton began experimenting with the long common process of boiling sugar to a caramelized state, then forming long threads of it with a fork. Patton's genious, according to the entry, was to heat the sugar on a gas-fired rotating plate, creating a cottony floss. The truth may be less romantic, but it is no less appealing. In 1897 William Morrison and John C. Wharton, candy makers in Nashville, invented the world's first electric machine that allowed crystallized sugar to be poured onto a heated spinning plate, then pushed by centrifugal force through a series of tiny holes. In 1904, at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, commonly known as the St. Louis World's Fair, Morrison and Wharton sold the product, then known as "fairy floss," in chipped-wood [cardboard] boxes for 25 cents a serving. Though the price was half the admission of the fair itself, they sold 68,655 boxes..."
---"Spun Heaven," Bruce Feiler, Gourmet, February 2000 (p. 66+)
[NOTE: this is an excellent article. Ask your librarian to help you find a copy.]

About the science of sugar.

Cotton candy: notes from the National Confectioners Association (includes how cotton candy is made today. If you need more details about the manufacturing process ask your librarian to help you find this book: How Products are Made, Jacqueline L. Longe, editor, Volume 4 [Gale:Detroit] 1999 (p. 157-161).

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ABOUT WHITE CHOCOLATE White chocolate is a confection that (until recently) has not been specifically defined. Culinary evidence confirms this product may, or may not, contain a chocolate derivative (cocoa butter, for example). Early 20th century companies marketed this product "vanilla chocolate."

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