Candy: A History Explore This Story They resemble barber poles,
spearmint leaves and teddy bears. They taste of violets,
cinnamon, wintergreen and molasses. They come imprinted with
messages, impaled on sticks or rolled in cornstarch. We buy them
in bulk or wrapped in comic strips. They are the candies we’ve
loved for decades. Each is a ticket back to childhood. It’s not
hard to see the enduring appeal of candy. It comes down to sugar
dissolved in water. Depending on how it’s cooked, you get
nougat, toffee, hard sucking candies, caramels, marshmallows,
lollipops or chewing gum. Chocolate is a category better saved
for Valentine’s Day. This close to Halloween, candy is on our
minds. Children aren’t the only fans: the National Confectioners
Association of America reports about 40 per cent of adults will
eat their kids’ trick-or-treating loot. (Guilty as charged.)
Here’s a look at candy through the decades, 140 years of sugary
goodness. Reminder: Brush your teeth after reading. 1880s George
Renninger of the now-