A Pleasure for All
Sugar became more widely available in the
18th century, when whole cookbooks were
devoted to confectionery. England developed
an especially strong sugar habit, and
consumed large amounts in the tea and jams
that fueled the working class. The per capita
consumption rose from 4 pounds/2 kg a year
in 1700 to 12 pounds/5 kg in 1780. By
contrast, the French limited their use of sugar
mainly to preserves and to desserts. In the
19th century, the growing production of sugar
from beets, and the development of machines
that automated the cooking, manipulation, and
shaping of sugar preparations, brought
inexpensive candies for all and encouraged an
inventiveness that continues to this day. It’s in
the 19th century that familiar modern candies
and chocolates were invented, and the control
of crystallization was refined. Taffy or toffee,
from the Creole for a mixture of sugar and
molasses, and nougat, from the vulgar Latin