Most historians say the first ‘candies’ originated in the time of the Ancient Egyptians, as early as 1500 - 2000 BC.
MACON, Ga. — Every night on Oct. 31, families and kids leave the house for one purpose: to dress in costumes and receive candy from neighbors, events, and friends.
But what led to this quest for candy? And how did the sweet treats we know today originate?
13WMAZ takes an in-depth look at the history of candy, and how it came to be a staple in American culture.
Most historians say the first ‘candies’ originated in the time of the Ancient Egyptians, as early as 1500 - 2000 BC.
The Egyptians would use honey mixed with fruit or nuts to curb their sweet tooth. Honey was also used in Ancient China, the Middle East, Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire as a form of confection.
Before sugarcane and sugar was readily available, candy was mostly seen as a form of medicine. Historians think it was used to aid the digestive system or calm a sore throat.
Then, around the 4th and 6th centuries BCE, sugarcane started to spread as a way to produce sugar.
It originates in Southeast Asia and India, and sugar was produced by boiling sugarcane juice and consumed as khanda.
Then the Persians, followed by the Greeks, found out about sugarcane-producing sugar crystals and spread sugarcane agriculture.
During the Middle Ages, sugar-based candies were very expensive and were mostly only available to the wealthy.
At that time candy was still thought of as medicinal, and was mainly a combination of sugar and spices. Historians say that banquet hosts or wealthy individuals served candies at meals for guests.
One of the candies was made with cloves, ginger, aniseed, juniper berries, almonds and pine kernels dipped in melted sugar, and was called “chamber spice.”
The Middle English word candy began to be used in the late 13th century.
Just before the Industrial Revolution in the early 18th century, sugar-based candy came to the Americas from Britain and France.
Only a few colonists were in the business of candy making, and sugary treats were only really enjoyed by the rich.
Even the most basic forms of sugar candy like rock candy was a luxury.
When the Industrial Revolution began in 1760, technology allowed for a more widespread distribution of sweet treats and sugar was more readily available in the market.
The working class began to have access to candy, along with a new market - children.
Candy stores became a popular spot among working-class families, especially ones with young children.
Penny candies became extremely popular during this time, as children could spend their earned money on sweets and afford them.
Then in 1847, the invention of the candy press really got things moving. Shops could make many shapes and sizes of candy all at once, and much faster than before.
Candies began to take on several flavors and consistencies as well. Since candy was being mass-produced, people could make things like boiled sweets, marshmallows, Turkish delight, and of course, hard candies.
Peppermints and lemon drops became hugely popular. In 1851, boiled sweets, bonbons, chocolate creams, caramels and other types of candies were presented to European and American confectioners.
Chocolate has a whole story of its own. Most people consider it separate from traditional candy, but in modern terms, it's all the same to us.
The first to explore making chocolate from cacao beans was the Olmec, one of the earliest civilizations in Latin America.
They used it to drink during rituals, and also as a form of medicine.
A few centuries later, Mayans praised chocolate as the drink of the gods. By the 15th century, the Aztecs used cocoa beans as currency.
No one knows for sure when or how chocolate got to Spain, but some think explorer Hernán Cortés brought chocolate to his homeland in 1528.
The Spanish kept chocolate quiet for a while, and it was almost a century before it reached France and Europe.
Then in 1641, chocolate came to America. By 1773, it was a major American import and was enjoyed by all classes.
For a lot of the 19th century, chocolate was drank as a beverage. That is, until British chocolatier J.S. Fry and Sons created the first chocolate bar in 1847.
By the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, family chocolate companies like Cadbury, Mars and Hershey were mass-producing a variety of chocolate confections to meet the growing demand for the sweet treat.
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