The Sugary Story Behind Sweetheart Candies
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There are several ways to get a loving message across on Valentine’s Day: red roses, thoughtful cards, and candlelight dinners. But nothing beats the conversation heart, also known as sweetheart candy, that's been around since 1901.
Conversation hearts owe their genesis to the American lozenges craze that reigned supreme during the 1800s. In 1847, Boston pharmacist Oliver Chase created a new table-top, hand-cranked machine to roll candy dough and press them into perfect confection discs. Prior to that, hard candies were made the hard way.
It was Daniel Chase, Oliver’s brother, who came up with the idea of printing messages like "I love you," "Miss you," and "Marry me" on sweetheart candies. They were a huge hit among both couples and Civil War soldiers as they were practically indestructible, didn’t melt, and kept one’s spirits up during hard times.
The initial flavors of sweetheart candies were banana, cherry, and wintergreen. Though sweetheart messages and flavors have changed over time, the way they are created remains the same.
Today, sweetheart candies are only second to chocolates that make the bulk of all confections sold around Valentine’s Day.
Image Credit: topseller / Shutterstock.com
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