Candy Bars and Candy

Sweetmeats—comfits, candied nuts, and preserved fruits—came to America in the eighteenth century, imported from Britain and France. A few colonists skilled in the European arts of “sugar work” were able to offer their delectable wares to the rich, who were the only ones able to afford such treats. “Sugar candy” was first advertised in the 1730s by refiners, who sold many other grades of sugar along with this item, a hard, crunchy confection. Made from crystallized sugar, rock candy was the easiest kind of candy to produce and could be found in dry-goods stores, groceries, and spice shops. But because sugar was such a rarity in the eighteenth century, even this crude form of sugar candy counted as a luxury.