This article is about the type of confection generally. Physically, candy is characterized by the use of a significant amount candy bars list sugar or sugar substitutes. Unlike a cake or loaf of bread that would be shared among many people, candies are usually made in smaller pieces.

However, the definition of candy also depends upon how people treat the food. The French term probably has earlier roots in the Arabic qandi, Persian qand and Sanskrit khanda, all words for sugar. Sugarcane is indigenous to tropical South and Southeast Asia. Pieces of sugar were produced by boiling sugarcane juice in ancient India and consumed as khanda. Before sugar was readily available, candy was based on honey. Before the Industrial Revolution, candy was often considered a form of medicine, either used to calm the digestive system or cool a sore throat. The Middle English word candy began to be used in the late 13th century.

The first candy came to America during the early 18th century from Britain and France. Only a few of the early colonists were proficient in sugar work and sugary treats were generally only enjoyed by the very wealthy. The candy business underwent a drastic change in the 1830s when technological advances and the availability of sugar opened up the market. The new market was not only for the enjoyment of the rich but also for the pleasure of the working class. There was also an increasing market for children. In 1851, confectioners began to use a revolving steam pan to assist in boiling sugar.

This transformation meant that the candy maker was no longer required to continuously stir the boiling sugar. Our Mutual Friend, January 7, 1885, satirical cartoon by Joseph Keppler, warning of the dangers of color additives used in candy. As the path from producer to market became increasingly complicated, many foods were affected by adulteration and the addition of additives which ranged from relatively harmless ingredients, such as cheap cornstarch and corn syrup, to poisonous ones. In an 1885 cover cartoon for Puck, Joseph Keppler satirized the dangers of additives in candy by depicting the “mutual friendship” between striped candy, doctors, and gravediggers. To this day, the process of going door to door to receive free candy during Halloween-time has become a major draw for children all across America. It is the one day of the year that ringing a neighbor’s doorbell is socially acceptable.