The History of Candy

Everybody loves candy, right? Well, turns out it has quite a long history! The oldest versions of candy can be traced as far back as biblical times. Civilizations all around the world used to dip different fruits in honey as a way to turn them into candy. Later on, the usage of barley sugar to sweeten fruit, or even to be eaten by itself, became popular. For thousands of years, candied fruit of simply sugar in its raw form was the only candy that existed. However, it was mainly a delicacy for the rich as sugar was extremely expensive. The word ‘candy’ can be traced back to the Middle East, as it is believed to be derived from the Arabic word ‘qandi’, which means “made of sugar”. There was also other forms of sweets, such as hot chocolate, which was invented by after the Mayans and Aztecs learned to use the cocoa bean. However, it was only in the 1800s with the help of the industrial revolution that candy started becoming mass produced. Around this same time, the first chocolate bar was also invented. The first candies were ‘basic’ ones, like gum and candy corn. However, as technologies evolved, candy makers came up with new ideas and inventions! Today, there is a huge variety of candies all around the world!