At what geographical point the first sweets appeared. What sweets the ancient confectioners preferred to cook. Why are the countries of the Old World considered the cradle of modern sweets and what does the word "candy" mean?
The story of mankind's love for sweets began about three millennia ago. The first confectionery appeared in ancient Egypt. Prototypes of modern sweets were made from boiled honey with the addition of dates. Sweets were usually thrown into the crowd greeted during the ceremonial trips of the pharaohs.
The recipes of the first sweets were not very diverse; similar confectionery was enjoyed by the inhabitants of Ancient Greece and the countries of the Middle East. At that time, people did not know how to produce sugar, the basis of all sweets was honey with the addition of dried apricots, nuts, sesame, poppy seeds and spices.
The first sweets appeared in Europe
At the dawn of our era, brown sugar made from cane was imported into Europe from India. Subsequently, the sweet product was superseded by a cheaper American counterpart, which led to the rapid development of the production of confectionery in the countries of the Old World.
Sweets in a more familiar form for us appeared in Italy in the 16th century. Confectioners of this European country melted lump sugar on fire, mixed the resulting mass with fruit and berry syrups and poured into various forms. The predecessors of modern caramel in medieval Italy were sold only in pharmacies, as it was believed that sweets have healing properties. Interestingly, only adults could buy a delicious medicine.
