[1] Lollipops, which date to the Middle Ages, were boiled sugar on sticks (photo © Insung Yoon | Unsplash).

[2] Head to the nearest candy store, or supermarket, to satisfy your lollipop jones (photo © Insung Yoon | Unsplash).

[3] Artisan candy makers create beautiful lollipop designs (photos © Molasses Candy | Blogspot).

According to the National Confectioners Association, eating sugar from a stick likely dates to prehistoric man, who licked honey off the stick he used to scrape it from the beehive.

The ancient Arabs, Chinese, and Egyptians made fruit and nut confections candied in honey, which may also have been eaten from sticks, owing to the stickiness of the confection.

But what we think of as a lollipop may date to Europe in the Middle Ages when sugar was boiled and formed onto sticks as treats for the wealthy—the only people who could afford sugar.

By the 17th century, sugar was plentiful and affordable. In England, boiled sugar (hard candy) treats were popular.

The word “lollipop” (originally spelled lollypop) first appears in print in 1784, roughly coinciding with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

Beginning in the later part of the 18th century, industry, including confectionery, became mechanized.

Horehound drops, lemon drops, peppermints, and wintergreen lozenges became everyday candies.

While we don’t know the inventor of the modern lollipop, the first automated lollipop machine was invented in Racine, Wisconsin in 1908.

The Racine Confectionery Machine Company’s machine put hard candy discs on the end of sticks, producing 2400 lollipops per hour, 57,000 per day (today’s machines can produce 3 million lollipops daily).

Far beyond the Tootsie Pop of childhood, today’s lollipops come in all shapes and sizes, from hand-crafted works of sugar art to caffeinated Java Pops and bacon lollipops.

Don’t be a sucker: Enjoy a lollipop today!
 
 
> The history of candy.
 
 
FOOD FUN

Lollipops don’t have to be sugary or hard. Check out these “lollipops”:

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Created by Chris Cason, co-founder of Tavalon Tea, it combines two summer favorites: sweet iced tea and a vodka cocktail.

The tea-infused vodka is delicious straight up or on the rocks, but it’s also a good mixer.

For example, a 1:1 ratio of sweet tea vodka to fresh-squeezed lemonade makes a Spiked Arnold Palmer (fresh lemonade recipe).

You can serve it as an “iced tea cocktail.” Or for fun, serve it in a teacup with a wedge of lemon.

HOMEMADE SWEET TEA VODKA

Ingredients

Find more Cocktail Recipes.
  

Can’t have milk in your coffee? Try SOY GO.

She switched to lactose-free milk and so did the rest of our office (no sense having multiple cartons of milk, and lactose-free tastes the same as regular milk).

However, she found herself out of luck at many restaurants. She tried bringing soymilk in Tetra Pak cartons (think juice boxes) with her, but found it wasteful to use just a couple of tablespoons and toss the remainder.

Instead of learning to like black coffee, she took a tip from our vegan photographer and discovered SOY GO, a creamer made from soy powder—the soy equivalent of Coffee Mate.

 
There are 10 calories per packet. Each packet also contains one gram of fiber and one gram of protein. Packets are designed to “cream” a mug with 8 to 10 ounces of coffee.

If you can’t find it locally (try health food stores and Whole Foods), you can buy it online.

We have lots of chocolate bars and pieces of chocolate that have been nibbled on for reviews, as well as blocks of couverture chocolate (used for baking).

When life gives you extra chocolate bars, make chocolate curls.

Also known as shaved chocolate, the curls can be used to garnish cake, ice cream, pudding, hot chocolate (or iced hot chocolate), cappuccino or anything that can benefit from a bit of chocolate glamor.

You can make dark, milk or white chocolate curls—or a combination. We’re particularly fond of white chocolate curls atop dark chocolate frosting.

TIP: If you won’t be using the curls immediately, place them in a storage container instead of on a cookie sheet.

In addition to the chocolate, you’ll need a vegetable peeler, cookie sheet or storage container (we use a low, square Tupperware-type container), waxed paper and a toothpick (we use tiny tongs that our grandmother used to add saccharine tablets to her tea).

For small curls, shave the narrow side of the bar; for wide curls, shave the broad side of the bar. You may have to practice to get the pressure right (maintain a steady pressure and speed).

1. The chocolate bar needs to be softened: hard enough to shave, but not so hard as to be brittle. We put our bar in a cold oven for half an hour, or on the stove top for 10 minutes on each side (to be warmed by the pilot light).

2. While the chocolate softens, cover a cookie sheet or the inside of a square or rectangular plastic storage container with waxed paper.

3. Make the chocolate curls by drawing the vegetable peeler across the chocolate. Don’t use a light touch, as with a potato or carrot. You’ll need a strong and steady stroke.

4. Use the toothpick to lift the curls gently onto the waxed paper. If you’ll be using them shortly, place them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to harden. Otherwise, store them in an airtight container in a cool place (we keep them near the vent of our kitchen air conditioner). Some people refrigerate them, but the quick transition from cold to a warm room can cause the chocolate to bloom.

Once you get the hang of it, we think you’ll be using chocolate curls a lot!

MORE CHOCOLATE FUN

Check out our Gourmet Chocolate Section for tips, recipes, reviews, trivia and more.
  

Here’s an ice cream recipe idea for a sweet yet light ending to a big dinner: ice cream demitasse.

Use your demitasse (espresso) cups to serve small portions of ice cream or sorbet. They will be just enough to qualify as dessert, but not enough to go overboard after a big meal.

Surprise your guests with a second flavor underneath.

Garnish with a raspberry, lemon curl or chocolate shaving, and you’ve got a hit!