“Sweet as Sin: The Unwrapped Story of How Candy Became America’s Favorite Pleasure” reminds me that not only does candy trigger a flood of personal memories, it evokes shared cultural experiences.
Author Susan Benjamin, proprietor of the candy company, True Treats, and an enthusiastic culinary historian will be at Historic Deerfield May 21 at 1:30 p.m. to talk about her book and lead a candy tasting at the Visitor Center in Hall Tavern.
“Sweet as Sin” traces the history of American sweets including a look how Native Americans harnessed sap and corn to make treats. It chronicles the development of a variety of popular candies in the United States and features personal asides and interviews with candy manufacturers in a humorous, informal narrative.
Among interesting facts it reveals: Salt-water taffy contains no salt water. NECCO wafer started out as a medicine containing opium.
Tickets to the presentation, including admission to the museum, are $20 for adults, $11 for children over 6, and $6 for Historic Deerfield members. They can be purchased at the door.
To register, visit: www.historic-deerfield.org.
—Tinky Weisblat, for the Gazette