Easter Sweetie

Easter Sweetie

A Short History Of Sweets

What we know today as sweets have actually only been around since the 19th century. In truth, we've always had a sweet tooth - honey has been eaten for many centuries, and those who lived in the Middle Ages were fond of a number of sweet - yet expensive - foods.

Indeed, early in the history of "sweet foods", the poor very rarely ate anything sweet unless it was flavoured with honey - it was only the rich who could pay for sweet food. The French loved their nougat in the 17th century, and let's not forget how much the Spanish loved chocolate when they happened upon it in South America. Chocolate did much to sweeten the collective teeth of Europeans, as it spread like wildfire throughout the continent. It was not, though, until the 19th century that Europeans decided to eat chocolate - it was a drink. Not just hot chocolate as we know and love it today, but a rich, smooth drink that was drunk like an espresso - and still is today if you visit Italy.

However, it was the industrial revolution - and cheaper sugar - that brought about the sweets we know and love today. The fact that sweets were no longer handmade meant that they could be mass-produced in factories, and the very first sweets included boiled sweets, marshmallows, and one of the very earliest was Turkish delight. This move over from hand-made to factory-made sweets meant that the poor got easier access to sweets - they were available en masse to the public for the first time.

Seaside rock was invented towards the end of the 19th century, along with Jelly Babies, liquorice allsorts and that fairground favourite, Candy Floss. Gradually, these sweet treats started to be associated with holidays. The Easter Egg was invented - proving that the association between Easter and Chocolate is nothing historical at all - and the 20th century saw an explosion in chocolate-based confectionery.

Crisps are a relative newcomer to the market, starting in 1960. Today, crisps and sweets are everywhere, crowding supermarkets and high streets alike, as old-fashioned retro sweet shops line up in towns around the country. Even with the demise of Woolworths in the UK, the Pick n Mix still proves incredibly popular. As health practitioners continue to tell us, sweets are bad for our diet, but the place of the sweet is more in nostalgia - nostalgia for the sweets of youth and the times associated with them. This has meant that chocolate bars from the 1970s and 1980s have suddenly started appearing, partly thanks to Facebook campaigns, and mostly thanks to astute marketers.

Today, Pick'n'Mix merchants are shifting online - with a greater access to a wider range of sweets, people are attracted by the possibilities and the greater focus on what they want. One thing is for sure, though - that our sweet tooth is not going to disappear just yet.

About the Author

Barry writes for SweetieSweets, where you can
buy sweets online
.

What's your Easter Bunny Name?

A.Choose your month
B.Choose the Day

January - Poofy
February - Cuddly
March - Fuzzy
April - Sweetie
May - Bouncy
June - Snuggly
July - Tickly
August - Furry
September - Cutesy
October - Fluffy
November - Smoochy
December - Peachy

1 2 3 4 5 - Wabbit
6 7 8 9 10 - Poof
11 12 13 14 15 - Cheeks
16 17 18 19 20 - Bouncer
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 -Bunny
O snap 21 22 23 24 - Hopper

Snuggly Wabbit =]
Wbu?

Easter Sweetie