A Walk through Candy History - True Treats Historic Candy

Candy Timeline

The Originals

The Originals

From Native American barks, to the first candy ever, to the first chewing gum.

The Native Americans throughout North America derived sugars from trees, bushes, grasses, and cobs which they used for flavor and health, and as a preservative. These are a select group of plants, unlike the European selections that have become the norm today.

Collections

  • Then, Later, & Now Collection: Fur different candies from three different time periods so you can compare the sweets from where they were to where they are today, including gum, chocolate, licorice, and bugs (yes, bugs) with a scroll telling the fascinating history of each!
  • First in History: A collection of the origins of today’s candy, in a stand-up bag: comes with roots, nuts, resins, beans and even bugs that would become familiar and much-loved sweets. Comes with scroll.
  • Time Capsule: Geared especially for kids, this time capsule is filled with first-ever “Candy,” or what would later become candy, with a personal letter from Terri the Time Traveler. For the adventurous among us.

Individual Selections

 

 

1500s-1700s

1500s-1700s

Candied Peels and petals, chocolate sticks, sugar plums, & other sugary treats.

Many common fruits, nuts, and spices arrived in the 1500s to 1700s and brought with them new forms of confections…and all the symbolism that went with them.

Collections

  • 1700s Bags: Filled with 1700s’ treasures from Turkish delight to Colonial chocolate sticks. Contains a scroll with the story of each on the label.
  • 1700s Time Capsules: A kid’s version of the 18th century bag with a letter from the Time Traveler, held in a timeless time capsule.
  • Botanicals: A delightful blend of candied flowers, vanilla and peppermint flavored sticks, anise comfits, and other delicious and historic sweets, emphasizing the flavors that a garden brings.

Individual Selections

 

 

1800s

1800s

The Industrial Revolution brought a tidal wave of change in sweets.

The 1800s saw the growth and demolition of enslavement with its close connection to sugar cane; the introduction of new sugars promoted by abolitionist; and the massive shifts in foods due to the Industrial Revolution, including the candy we know today.

Collections

  • 1800s Bags: Our flagship product, this remarkable collection starts with the first candy in U.S. history and travels to the taffy of the late 1800s. Comes with a scroll describing each one, to guide you along the way.
  • 1800s Time Capsule: Perfect for kids, this time capsule provides an edible history lesson with 1800s favorites, curtesy of the Time Traveler whose message lies inside.
  • African American History Bag: This unique collection focuses on the African Americans who created the nation’s sweets and sugars, from an inventor who developed a milestone sugar evaporator to George Washington Carver and his delicious peanut brittle. Comes with a scroll describing the individual African Americans with the candy they made, shaped, or ate.
  • Aphrodisiac Truffle Box:  A deliciously packaged truffle box with hand-made truffles, each filled with one of the ancient aphrodisiacs.  Comes with a tag and scroll that tells the story of each.
  • Civil War Bags or Leather Pouches: What exactly did the Civil War soldiers eat? This collection contains a range of sweets from sorghum drops to horehound squares, with a scroll explaining who ate it and why. Comes in either a bag or handmade leather pouch.
  • Penny Candy Favorites: This fun-loving collection is a hit among older folks who remember and young one eager to explore. Contains classics such as Root Beer Barrels, Jaw Breakers, Dubble Bubble, Bit-O-Honey, Hershey’s Kisses, Candy Buttons, the first penny candy, the NECCO Wafer, and many more.  History of each is on the label. Mixture of 19th and early 20th century selections.
  • Sweet and Sassy: A sassier version of the Penny Candy Collection, this bag contains Jelly Beans, Nik-L-Nip, Candy Necklace, Candy Lipstick, Nonpareils, Pixy Stix, Smarties, Dum Dum, Turkish Taffy and more, with the history on the back. Mixture of 19th and early 20th century selections.
  • Taffy Treasures: Salt water taffy, molasses pulls, and Turkish Taffy: hand-made, machine-made, stick-to-you-teeth, or melt-in-your-mouth, the taffy in this bag, mainly from the late 1800s, says it all.

Individual Selections

 

 

20th Century

The rise of candy we know today – from Candy Bars to Sponge Candy.

The 20th century launched an unprecedented age of candy made for kids, sent to soldiers at war, and reflecting everything from Prohibition to the Cold War. The colors were bright, the scent alluring, and the flavors out of this world.

Collections

  • Armed Forces Favorites: Sugar has been the cause of war, a part of the rations during war, and an essential part of war-time medicines. This collection contains samples from the Revolutionary War to World War II; from the horehound of the Civil War to the candy bars of the Doughboys. Contains a scroll telling the story of each.
  • Bubble Gum Classics: Thirty pieces of bubble gum, from big gum balls to tidy Dubble Bubble. Fun and festive, from the 1920s-1940s.
  • Fabulous Fandango: The youngest candies in our historic collection, these are fizzy, fiery, and fun, including Pop Rocks, Nik L’Nips and Fire Balls, to name a few. All high volume flavor, loaded with memories old and new.
  • Grandmother’s Purse Collection: The collection is made of memories, this bag contains the candy grandmas have dished out of their purses and grandpas out of their pockets. The selection based on comments from our customers and include Chic-O-Sticks, Lifesavers, NECCO wafers and plenty others. 10% of all Purse products go to culinary school scholarships.
  • Licorice Lovers: A bag of licorice history from the licorice root to the fruit flavored twists, with an emphases on black licorice – the real deal.
  • Princess Purses: Adorable plastic purses with a variety of candies no little lady can live without. Includes candy necklaces, candy lipstick, chocolate coins, and, of course, the Starlight Mints…and many more.
  • Prohibition Toffee Blend: A chewy blend of toffees from the Temperance Movement to the Prohibition Era that are still stir memories and taste buds today. Includes the Squirrel Nut Zipper, Mary Jane, Mint Julep, Bit O’ Honey, and Walnutto.

Individual Selections

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