candy or sweets

[37thtenn]

Just wondering,
what candy was popular during the civil war.I know the peppermint stick,and from what i have been told the necco candy was around then.anything else?

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: candy or sweets

This has been discussed before, but fiddle with the search engine with the word 'candy' if you so feel inclined:

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3766&highlight=candy

There was a nice article on this topic in CWH last year. Someone on here could help you with which edition contained it. It has great research with references and some recepies for period-style candy.

Also, Necco wafers were manufactured by the "New England Confectionary Company" (http://www.necco.com/OurBrands/Default.asp?BrandID=7) under the name "Necco" postwar according to that same CWH article. The period-correct term for the same candy would be Chase wafers (after the man that invented the candy prewar) or "Peerless wafers".

Basically, the candy was the exact same as today except without "necco" embossed on them. Get the 'necco' off of the durn things if you can and you're good for an event.

Personally, I use peppermint sugar-stick candy or homemade lemon drops (not like the ones in packaged form today- no sugar on them and not in the shape of a lemon) at events if the impression calls for care packages, items purchased from a sutler, goods found in a period home, etc.

To my knowledge, no one ever got issued candy in their rations during the war...

-Johnny

[Jeff Prechtel]

Re: candy or sweets

rock candy and other hard sugar candies, maple surgar candy,
licorice and anise, Turkish Delights, Marzipane (sp), and varying
types of chocolate confections & boiled sweets. Whitman's chocolate
debutes around 1854 (not the "sampler, that wasn't until later).

[VMurphy]

Re: candy or sweets

Deborah Hyland has done a lot of research on candies of the period. For the past two events at Boonefield Village, Defiance, MO. she was proprietress of a wonderful period candy shop and general mercantile:tounge_sm I would take a wild guess that she had for sale well of 20 different types of sweets. I can't begin to remember all the names.....chocolates with liquer were mmmmarrveeeelllous :)....mint candies in the colors of white, green, and pink...chocolates usually called "haystacks".??? the specialty is a small cup and saucer formed of a soft jelly sweet of some sort.

Perhaps Deborah could post futher info on the candies she has found in her research.

The good news is, Deborah is making plans to have her candy shop and mercantile open for business at the Athens ';08 event this Aug.


Regards
Vivian Murphy

http://www.themantuamaker.net

[37thtenn]

Re: candy or sweets

thanks for the info.

[Deborah Hyland]

Depending on availablity and the weather, I stock the following in my confectionery (more familiar modern names follow):

Barberries, dried
Barley sugar candy
Blackjacks (molasses stick candy)
Braided candy (stick candy in clove, etc.)
Burnt nuts (french burnt peanuts)
Cigars, sugar
Cordial drops (soft centered hard candies)
Corn candy (popcorn balls)
Creme drops
Ginger, candied
Groundnut candy (peanut brittle)
Gum Arabic drops (gum drops)
Humbugs, mint (mint puffs)
Lemon drops
Marchpane (marzipan)
Nonpareils
Nougat (turron)
Peerless wafers (necco)
Pontefract cakes (licorice)
Raisins
Rock candy
Salem Gibralters, lemon & mint
Sassafras drops
Sugared almonds, chocolate
Sugared almonds, smooth (jordan almonds)
Sultanas (golden raisins)
Tamarind, candied
Tea cakes, ginger
Tea cakes, molasses
Turkish delight, rose

Medicinals:
Brenton’s cough candy compound (horehound drops, boxed w/ period leaflet)
Chase’s lozenges, peppermint (canada mints)
Chase’s lozenges, spearmint (canada mints)
Chase’s lozenges, wintergreen (canada mints)
Horehound drops
Licorice stick (root licorice)

With the exception of the corn candy, I generally stick to items which would have been commercially available, rather than items one would make at home.

I found Virginia Mescher's article in CWH invaluable, but have also found extensive listings and advertisements in period newspapers. I'm currently reading Wendy Woolson's Refined Tastes: Sugar, Confectionery, and Consumers in Nineteenth-Century America , which you may find useful.

For those of you in the St. Louis area, I'll be presenting a talk on nineteenth-century candies as part of a fundraiser for the Fairfax House on July 5th.

[Justin Runyon]

Re: candy or sweets

Brian,

Civl War Historian Vol 2 issue 5.

Back issues are available.

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: candy or sweets

Depending on availablity and the weather, I stock the following in my confectionery (more familiar modern names follow):


Brandy drops (chocolates filled w/ brandy)

I found Virginia Mescher's article in CWH invaluable, but have also found extensive listings and advertisements in period newspapers.

Deborah's candy list was very good and should be helpful to those studying period candies.

Period brandy drops were not like our modern chocolate cordials filled with brandy. They were hard sugar candy balls.

A great period confectionery book is the Complete Confectioner by Eleanor Parkinson (1864) which is online at Feeding of America at http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/...oks/index.html

I'm glad that others have found the Civil War Historian article helpful and that there are back issues available. It was fun to research and write and is calorie free as long as you don't eat the research products.

Unfortunately, in the final editing over half of list of candies in the glossary were deleted from the article. I had originally included 69 candy types in the glossary and only 31 were in the printed article. That led to some confusion when the article first came out since some of the deleted items were referenced to in the article. I have tried to clear up any confusion to those who have contacted me privately and in an addendum that appeared in a later issue.

[C.R. Henderson]

Re: candy or sweets

Brian,

Civl War Historian Vol 2 issue 5.

Back issues are available.

Shameless plugs--- priceless!:D

[Charles Heath]

Re: candy or sweets

Virginia,

Your tea article in CWH Vol 4, Issue 4 is most excellent! At least what I've been able to skim.

Now, to pry this freshly arrived magazine from Bev's fingers....

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: candy or sweets

Virginia,

Your tea article in CWH Vol 4, Issue 4 is most excellent! At least what I've been able to skim.

Now, to pry this freshly arrived magazine from Bev's fingers....

I'm glad you liked it so far. I hope you get a chance to do more than skim it once you pry it out of Bev's fingers.

I tried to make it of interest to everyone and alleviate some of the confusion that surrounds tea terms and the types of tea available in the 19th century. I know it's a little thing but little things add up for a complete impression.