Food History: An Ongoing Series Making and Learning About Candy Through History
In this ongoing series, we will be making candy from all eras and highlighting the history behind the candies we love.
Danita
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(1,561)
What's included
1 live meeting
1 hrs 25 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
In this series, learners will be brought through history. Each session will be stand-alone (meaning that each class will contain its own content separate from each other). In each class, we will be provided the history of the candy and learners will make the candy alongside the teacher. Written, verbal, and visual instruction will be provided. A copy of the written instructions will be provided on the classroom page just after class ends. The layout of each session will change as it is sometimes useful to get the candy cooling before presenting the history of candy and other times we can present the history at the beginning. Each session will consist of: Presentation of the History of Candy (10 to 20 minutes) Making the Candy (1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes) End Results and Discussion (10 minutes) Please keep in mind that some of the candies will need time to set and so not all candies will be "ready to eat" in class time. Week of August 28 - September 3 Egyptians and Marshmallows Week of September 4 to September 10 Iranian Marzipan Week of September 11 to September 17 Persian Gaz Week of September 18 to September 24 French Pastilles Week of September 25 to October 1 Roman Candied Dates Week of October 2 to October 8 Nostradamus Rocky Candy Week of October 9 to October 15 Chinese Bingtanghulu Week of October 16 to October 22 Canadian Molasses Kisses Week of October 23 to October 29 Celtic Brittle Week of October 30 to November 5 English Licorice Week of November 20 to November 26 Candy Buttons Week of December 4 to December 10 Candy Canes Week of December 11 to December 17 Southern Divinity Week of January 1 to January 7 Byzantium (now Constantinople) Halva Week of January 8 to January 14 Sucra la Creme Week of January 15 to January 21 Malted Milk Balls Week of January 22 Fudge Week of January 29 Blown Sugar Week of February 5 Martha Washington's Candy Week of February 12 Warheads Week of February 19 Charleston Chew Week of February 26 Pocky Sticks Week of March 5 Ganong Chicken Bones Week of March 12 Milk Duds Week of March 19 Tutti Frutti Week of March 26 Cadberry Creme Eggs
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Learners will be using hot cookware and boiling sugar every class (and sometimes a knife). I ask that a parent or guardian be present for all classes so that we can minimize the risk of injury. Safety tips will also be given at the beginning of every session.
Some recipes include items that your learner may be allergic to or goes against their beliefs. Some cases would include peanuts (allergies) or honey (non-vegan). I try to write ingredients out with all these things in mind and provide alternatives where needed. If you see a recipe that includes ingredients that are not suitable for your learner's diet please reach out to me and I can assist in providing further alterations that would work for the recipe.
Supply List
Week of January 29 Blown Sugar jolly ranchers A microwavable bowl two metal straws microwave Week of February 5 Martha Washington's Candy 1 cup butter melted (vegan version would work as well) 1 pound powdered sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 14 ounces shredded coconut sweetened 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (coconut version would work) 10 ounces maraschino cherries drained and chopped 3 cups finely chopped pecans (You could add peanuts or oatmeal as an alternative) 16 ounces candy coating such as Ghirardelli melting wafers, Almond bark, etc Paper towels Big bowl Big spoon Freezer Baking sheet Parchment paper Microwavable bowl Week of February 12 Warheads Candy Thermometer Flexible Hard Candy Molds Pastry Brush Medium Pot Coffee/Spice Grinder 2 Cups Granulated Sugar 2/3 Cup Light Corn Syrup 3/4 Cup Water 6 Drops Gel Blue Food Coloring: https://amzn.to/3h22353 1 Tbsp LorAnn Tart & Sour: https://amzn.to/3zKuVpD 1 tsp LorAnn Super Strength Strawberry Flavoring: https://amzn.to/2WPSH5h 1 tsp Fumaric Acid: https://amzn.to/3yJShun 1/2 Cup Sugar 7 Tbsp Citric Acid: https://amzn.to/3DP03qs 2 Tbsp Malic Acid: https://amzn.to/38Inq70 2 Tbsp Tartaric Acid: https://amzn.to/3tjmFKT Week of February 19 Charleston Chew 192g (1 cup) Granulated Sugar 252g (¾ cup) Agave Nectar ½ cup Water ⅛ tsp Salt 2 Large Egg Whites (room temperature) (Or an egg substitute and some lecithin powder) 1 tsp Vanilla Paste 6 oz Milk Chocolate 6 oz Dark Chocolate 56g (¼ cup) Coconut Oil two 8" brownie pans parchment paper medium-sized saucepan mixer or whisk medium bowl that is heat resistant Week of February 26 Pocky Sticks 3 small microwaveable bowls Food processor OR pastry cutter Medium bowl Plastic wrap Baking sheet Oven Freezer Wire cooling rack If you do not have a food processor you will need a knife and cutting board Whisk 1¼ cups/160 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 3 tablespoons granulated sugar ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ cup/55 grams cold unsalted butter (½ stick), cut into pieces 3 tablespoons whole milk ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 3 ounces/85 grams white chocolate, chopped (about ½ cup) 3 ounces/85 grams milk chocolate, chopped (about ½ cup) 3 ounces/85 grams dark chocolate, chopped (about ½ cup) Vegetable shortening, as needed (about 1/2 cup) Optional Toppings: 1 tablespoon pulverized freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries, or ½ teaspoon matcha powder 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs 3 tablespoons chopped nuts Week of March 5 Ganong Chicken Bones 1 cup Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar - you can substitute this for 1 cup of Swerve (a sugar replacement) 2 teaspoons corn starch - you could substitute this with arrowroot 2/3 cup white (light) corn syrup - you could substitute this with honey 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/3 cup water - if using Swerve, you would use 1/2 cup water 1/8 teaspoon baking soda (optional) 1 1/8 teaspoon glycerin (optional) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter - you can substitute this for any fat (coconut oil or vegan butter) 3-5 drops food coloring of choice (gel or liquid is okay) 1 cup chopped dark chocolate (this is about 2 or 3 chocolate bars) A medium pot A baking sheet (like a cookie sheet) Wax paper A reliable instant read or candy thermometer Scissors that are okay to grease and use with food (clean) Rubber/silicone spatula Small cup with cold water Week of March 12 Milk Duds 4 ounces water (1/2 cup; 115g) 8 1/2 ounces sugar (1 1/4 cups; 240g) 3/4 teaspoon (3g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight 6 ounces heavy cream (3/4 cup; 170g) 8 ounces finely chopped dark or milk chocolate (1 1/3 cups; 225g), such as Callebaut or Valrhona; do not use chips 8x8 baking pan Parchment paper 2 quart pot Candy thermometer Baking sheet Medium microwavable bowl Week of March 19 Tutti Frutti 500 grams raw papaya / papita 7 cup water 2 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 drops food colour (red, green, yellow) Medium pot Knife and cutting board Strainer (small holes) 3 small bowls (NOTE: This recipe will take time to soak up the syrup and so will not be ready to eat until the next day) Week of March 26 Cadberry Creme Eggs ½ cup light corn syrup ¼ cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla ⅛ teaspoon salt 3 cups powdered sugar yellow gel food coloring 12 ounces milk chocolate melts Medium microwavable bowl Microwave Medium bowl Freezer Baking sheet Parchment paper
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Sources for the short presentations come from several food historians:
Mason, Laura. Sweets and Candy: A Global History (Edible). Published by Reaktion Books, 2018.
Richardson, Tim. Sweets: A History of Candy. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2002
Kimmerle, Beth. Candy: The Sweet History. Collectors Press, Incorporated, 2004
The recipes for this class are based on historic texts found here:
Ketcham Wheatan, Barbara. Harvard’s Schlesinger Library historic texts in relations to food and recipes: https://thesifter.org/
Teacher expertise and credentials
I have been making candy since I was a kid. It brings great joy to teach these centuries-old skills to the next generation. All of the facts regarding the history of the candy is thoughtfully researched and references of the facts will be provided.Reviews
Live Group Class
$12
weekly1x per week
85 min
Completed by 19 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-15
3-6 learners per class
