Fred Flintstone had a sweet tooth - timeline of our cravings traced back to the Stone Age

Even stone age men had a sweet tooth

BRITAIN'S sweet tooth developed as early as 8,000BC during the days of cavemen, historians have revealed.

 

Confectionery historian Tim Richardson has created a timeline to show how our love of sweets has developed over the centuries.

The chronology includes Stone Age cave paintings showing our early ancestors raiding bee hives for honeycomb to get their sweet fix.

And as the years went on, the first lollipops are thought to have been enjoyed back in 1550AD, gums and pastilles came in during the 1650s while toffee was a favourite in the 1890s.

Boiled sweets, chewing and bubble gum, liquorice, sherbet, marshmallows and the popular 'a quarter of' type sweets are also detailed in the timeline, which shows how our sweet-loving taste buds have evolved over the centuries.

It also shows how old favourites have been redesigned with new flavours and sizes as well as limited editions in more recent years.

 

A sweet little something enjoyed during the day can be a source of simple solace and pleasure, perking us up like nothing else

Tim Richardson, author

 

 

 

Our attitudes and tastes for sweets have changed over time

'Sweets: A History of Temptation' author Tim Richardson created the timeline with Tangerine Confectionery, which is behind classic sweets such as WHAM bars, fruit salads, Flumps, DipDabs and Refreshers, to mark the launch of its new Softies sweets.

Mr Richardson said: "A sweet little something enjoyed during the day can be a source of simple solace and pleasure, perking us up like nothing else. People have known this for centuries.

"Throughout history, many sweets have maintained their allure and popularity because they have kept up with the latest taste trends while fitting in with changing lifestyles.

"The nostalgia value of sweets has always been there but it has soared in recent years, with new 'old-fashioned' sweet shops opening up on high streets and booming internet sales of childhood favourite."

The timeline shows the first records of humans eating sweets are depicted in cave paintings from around 8000BC, which were discovered near Valencia, Spain.

Between 2000BC and 1400AD, sweets started to appear in different shapes and forms around the world - from Sanskrit texts describing 'milk-based sweets laced with sugar' in India, to Arabic almond lozenges mentioned in Persian cookbooks.

 

The first lollipops are thought to have been enjoyed in 1150AD

Aniseed balls were among the comfit sweets introduced around 1450 and were originally used for the medicinal value of the herbs and spices inside the sugar casing.

Boiled sweets, originally 'cheap versions of crystallised fruits' appeared in 1820, while the British seaside staple rock, complete with the letters through the middle, is thought to have been invented in Morecambe in the 1830s.

But while the sticks of rock today traditionally spell out the place names, early variations were given as courting gifts, with cheeky messages running through the middle instead.

Chewing gum was created in 1871, by a New York entrepreneur, with bubble gum following in 1926 after being invented by Walter Diemer, an accountant at a Philadelphia sweets firm, who enjoyed 'messing around in the lab' after hours.

Liquorice Allsorts were invented by a salesman in the Midlands in 1899, who was carrying samples around in a case when they all got muddled up.

 

This timeline shows the changes the human sweet-tooth has gone through

Previously he had sold each kind of sweet in individual batches, but the 'allsorts' selection proved a runaway success.

It was also revealed that marshmallows came about after French confectioners imitated the medieval medicine using egg whites and sugar at the turn of the twentieth century.

After sweet rationing came to an end in 1953, loose sweets sold from jars became popular, while "space" became a favourite theme in the 1970s.

The penny chew had it's heyday in the 1980s, with Fruit Salads, Blackjacks and Mojos, all favourites of the 'pick-and-mix' enjoyed by children during this time.

And in the last few years, the sweet market has seen old favourites such as the Fruit Salads, Wham and Refreshers relaunched in soft, bitesize versions.

Gillian Clarke, senior brand manager at Tangerine said: "Throughout time, sweets have maintained their enduring appeal thanks to constantly surprising and delighting us with new flavours and styles.

"Lots of people already have a soft spot for Fruit Salads, Wham Bars and Refreshers, so the Softies update makes perfect sense.

"The new look and soft texture give the retro sweets a modern day overhaul while still retaining the exciting flavours and delights that made them so popular originally."

TIMELINE OF SWEETS

8000BC - Prehistoric honeycomb

800BC - Liquorice

1000AD - Arabic almond lozenges

1350 - Sucket (candied fruit)

1450 - Comfits (aniseed balls and the like)

1550 - Lollipops

1650 - Gums and pastilles

1820s - Boiled sweets

1840s - Rock

1871 - Chewing gum

1870s - Penny chews

1890s - Toffee

1899 - Liquorice Allsorts

1900 - Marshmallow

1926 - Bubble gum

1940 - Sherbet

1953 - The end of Sweet rationing

1960s - Brightly packaged wrapped sweets or multiple packs

1970s - Intergalactic theme

1980s - Penny chew

2010s - Softies - favourite chewy sweets begin to be marketed in soft versions and new flavours