Candy A Century of Panic and Pleasure [Paperback]

A lively cultural history that explores how candy in America became food and how food became more like candy

Many adults who wouldn't dream of indulging in a Snickers bar or jelly beans feel fine snacking on sports bars and giving their children fruit snacks. For most Americans, candy is enjoyed guiltily and considered the most unhealthy thing we eat. But why? Candy accounts for less than ten percent of the added sugar in the American diet. And at least it's honest about what it isa processed food, eaten for pleasure, with no particular nutritional benefit. What should really worry consumers is the fact that today every aisle in the supermarket contains highly manipulated products that have all the qualities of candy. So how did our definitions of food and candy come to be so muddled?
Candytells the strange, fascinating story of how candy evolved in America and how it became a scapegoat for all our fears about the changing nature of food. Samira Kawash takes us from the moral crusaders at the turn of the century, who blamed candy for everything from poisoning to alcoholism to sexual depravity; to the reason why the government made candy an essential part of rations during World War I (and how the troops came back craving it like never before); to current worries about hyperactivity, cavities, and obesity.
Candyis an essential, addictive read for anyone who loves lively cultural history, cares about food, and wouldn't mind feeling a bit better about eating candy.

Samira Kawashhas a PhD in literary studies from Duke University and is a professor emerita at Rutgers University. She is the author ofDislocating the Color Lineand the founder of the website Candyprofessor.com. Kawash lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Lively, engaging, deliciously descriptive . . . Kawash makes a balanced case against accepting ultraprocessed foods at face value. With a helpful heaping of information in every verbal bite, this fascinl#: