The following article was written by Kristen Keck, a Teen Associate at the Manitowoc Public Library.
Ah, February! The time for love—and candy. Mostly candy, really. Even at the Library, we like our sugar.
Whitman’s Chocolate released the first box of chocolates in 1854. In 1868, Richard Cadbury took it up a notch by unleashing the first heart-shaped box of chocolates on the world. The Victorians loved it—they were extra like that—and it’s been a staple of Valentine’s Day ever since.
The urge for sugar has been a thing since our first mouthful of honey way back when. The Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Arabs were mixing fruits and nuts with caramelized honey since time immemorial. Sugar cane spread out from Polynesian cultures to be a global crop and sugar was first refined in India sometime before 100 AD. By 1096, Crusaders were bringing sugar into Europe.
Chocolate, on the other hand, came from Mesoamerica where the Olmec people consumed both the sweet pulp of the cacao fruit and dried the seeds to make a drink with honey and chiles. The Jamaicans were the first to put milk in it, creating milk chocolate. The first modern chocolate bar appeared in England in 1847.
If you think there’s a difference between European and American chocolate—you’re absolutely right! Mostly it’s a matter of percentages of cocoa and sugar. American chocolate has more sugar and less cocoa. There’s also a matter of chemicals. Some American chocolate processes cause lipolysis in milk, which breaks down the fats and helps stabilize the milk. Unfortunately, this can produce butyric acid, which gives Parmesan cheese its bite and, well, vomit its sting. Try not to think about that when you’re craving a candy bar.
In celebration of all this sugar, we’re going to have a program of candies—old and new. Summertime programming sensation “Face the Flavor” is back with a sweet twist—the Candy Store Edition! Can you tell caramel from butterscotch? Or peppermint from spearmint? Are you up on your Dum-Dums flavors? Just what flavor are circus peanuts supposed to be anyway?
There’ll be many candies to identify by taste alone, with extra points if you know the brand name. In an attempt to avoid a sugar coma or anyone’s teeth falling out, we’ll be adding some trivia rounds as well. When did candy corn first appear on the market? How old is gum? What was the first flavor of LifeSaver? Where in the world was Pez invented? And what in the world does ‘Pez’ mean?
If you like trivia and candy, together or separately, and are 11-18-years old, come join us in the Balkansky Community Room at MPL for the Teen Hang-Out: Face the Flavor—Candy Store Edition on Thursday, February 13, at 6 PM. There will be registration for this program and that opens Thursday, January 30, at noon. Make your way to www.manitowoclibrary.org/event/face-flavor-candy then to snag a spot! Remember to answer the question about allergies and food restrictions when you register. I’m not interested in making anyone sick—unless it’s from the sugar rush!
One last thing. According to the manufacturer, circus peanuts are banana-flavored. Who knew?