You don’t gain fame overnight without starting out somewhere. The candy business is no different. Some of our favorite holiday treats originated in church.
What we love and know today as the candy cane was born in a German church. In 1670, a German choirmaster bent the top of a soft, straight candy stick into a loop to represent a shepherd’s crook. He soon found out it could serve more than one purpose for him in church. Part religious symbol, part pacifier, their popularity grew in Europe when they proved effective at keeping children quiet and focused during religious ceremonies.
More than 150 years later, they found their way into American culture when German immigrant August Imgard used the candy cane to decorate a Christmas tree in Wooster, Ohio. Its popularity caught on and people in and out of the church enjoyed them as treats and décor. Fast forward to the 1950s and the demand for them was so high that it inspired Catholic priest Gregory Keller to invent a machine automating their production. When they no longer had to be hand-rolled, candy canes could be mass-produced. The rest, as they say, is history!
While Europeans invented the candy cane, America’s claim to fame is fudge. Fudge was a happy accident created when a batch of caramels went wrong. Because it was a “fudged” batch of caramels, the name took hold as a description of the treat. The first sale of it was recorded in 1886 at a local grocery store in Baltimore. Within two short years, fudge climbed the ladder of success from grocery store to higher education when 30 pounds of fudge was made for Vassar College’s Senior Auction. Word spread quickly about this delicious treat and Smith College and Wellesley College responded by developing their own versions of fudge. Friendly competition and word of mouth launched fudge into our culinary culture as a sweet that was here to stay.
Now, of course, it’s available internationally and even online. Want to taste some fudge that’s out of this world? One great place to try is 45th Parallel’s Candy World in Suttons Bay, Mich. They’ve been voted “Best Fudge in Northern Michigan” by Traverse Magazine. You can shop online at http://www.45thfudge.com/shop.asp or call the store at (231) 271-4220.
If you’re looking for a unique gift this holiday season with a homemade flare, try New York-based Sweet Sally’s Bakeshop. They have a variety of sweets to choose from. Sweet Sally’s motto is “Yesterday’s memories delivered today,” and it’s true. Their bite-size rugelachs are the perfectly-sized classic treat and yet they embrace the modern concept of portion control. Each one is decadent bite. It pairs a light and flaky outside with a sweet and chewy inside for a little burst of yum. Try them alone as a mini-dessert or serve them with a cup of tea. Check out Sweet Sally’s at https://www.sweetsallys.com/index.php or call (646)662-7192.
Candy is so revered all over the world that there are now national holidays honoring the different types. Did you know that Jan. 8 is National English Toffee Day? Or that Jan. 26 is National Peanut Brittle Day? Now with the traditional holidays just around the corner, try asking your boss if you can take a day off to celebrate candy and let us know how that goes.
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Didn't know the history of fudge! Thanks for educating us, Anne-Marie!
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