Sweethearts & Candy Hearts: A Nostalgic Valentine's Day
Sweethearts & Candy Hearts: A Nostalgic Valentine’s Day
Have you ever wondered where the candy heart came from and why we tie it to Valentine’s Day? Well, you’re in luck because we are here to dive right into it!
Ready to get into the Valentine’s Day spirit? Let’s go!
There are a few different names that these candy hearts are referred to, such as, conversation hearts, Necco hearts, sweethearts or candy hearts. The start to these candy hearts go all the way back to 1847. A man named Oliver Chase invented a machine that made it easier to produce lozenges.
These lozenges were in high demand at the time this machine was made. Oliver made the process of making these lozenges a lot simpler by creating a lozenge cutter. He then moved his focus from lozenges to candy. He then founded the New England Confectionery Company, widely known as Necco. Then, the Necco wafer candies were made!
Now, how did the candy hearts come about? First, Oliver's brother, Daniel created a way to press words onto the Necco candies by using a felt roller pad and dampened with vegetable coloring. From there, they think Daniel got his inspiration for the candy hearts from a candy called “cockles.” These candies had a scallop shell with a phrase printed on them. Once Daniel found an efficient way to print the messages directly to the candies, he then created his conversations candies. They did not become heart shaped until 1902.
Today, Necco states that they produce around 100,000 of sweethearts everyday from the middle of February to January. This amounts to about 8 billion sweethearts each year. That’s a lot of sweethearts!
Make your Sweetheart a Sweet Treat to go with your Candy Hearts
Strawberry Valentine’s Day Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 1 8- oz bag Strawberry Candy Melts OR
- 1 bag of white chocolate baking chips {12 oz} AND
- 1 box of Strawberry Creme Jell-O Pudding** {pudding NOT gelatin!}
- Valentines M&M's and/or Sprinkles