Candy has come a long way over the centuries. Original candies were medicinal treatment for sore throats and digestive disorders. Candies, such as peppermint, horehound and lavender, were produced as hard lozenges to relief discomforts. Candy has evolved as a sugary confection to be made at home or purchased from a store. With the evolution of candy came the evolution of candy wrapper. Today, there are many candy wrapper techniques that can be replicated when making candy.
History of Candy Containers
Candy buyers today take for granted that candy is wrapped or sealed in paper, foil or plastic wrappers. Historically, candy was sold in pieces stored in clay or ceramic pots or wood boxes. According to Food Timeline website, glass jars were used as display containers in the 18th century in stores, but the candies, purchased individually or by the scoop, were rarely wrapped. Candies were scooped into folded paper or directly into the hand or container of the buyer. Expensive candies could be purchased in paper cups, but these were financially mostly unavailable to most shoppers.
Sealed Package
The idea for a sealed candy wrapper, according to Food Timeline website, is attributed to a London candy maker named Tom Smith. For the Christmas season in the 1840s, Tom Smith wrapped his candies in tissue paper with slips of paper printed with sayings or mottoes. Eventually, Smith worked a gun powder cap into the packaging that created a bang when the candy wrapper was pulled, and thus the Christmas cracker was created. Modern candy is often enclosed in plastic tubes and a heat-machine melts and seals the ends to create a sanitary package to protect the candy from humidity and debris. Sealed packaging can be replicated at home with a vacuum candy packing machine and bags that accompany it.
Paper Wrapper
Paper was among the first candy packaging, but a wrapped candy bar wasn't introduced until 1911, when according to Ziegler's Half Nuts website, the Georg Ziegler Company marketed their candy bars, wrapped and for five cents a bar. Today's chocolate bars are often wrapped in foil and then covered with a decorative paper wrapper. Free downloadable or printable chocolate bar wrapper templates are available online and from candy companies that will also custom print wrappers for various occasions. To customize a candy bar for an event, such as a baby's birth, print or buy wrappers. Remove the original candy bar wrapper, noting how it was folded around the candy bar, and replace it with the custom wrapper. Use an adhesive dot, double sided tape or clear glue to seal the folded wrapper beneath the bar.
Twisted Ends
Twisted candy wrapper can be made of paper or plastic. Candy and craft stores sell clear plastic candy wrappers, often with printed seasonal images, and decorative plastic bags of various colors and seasonal prints. To wrap a candy in a wrapper to be twisted, place a candy wrapper on a flat surface. Put the candy in the wrapper's center. Fold the top edge over the front of the candy. Fold the bottom edge over the front of the candy. Grasp the left ends of the wrapper, and twist the plastic or paper tight against the candy. Grasp the right wrapper ends, and twist the ends tight against the candy. For a bag wrapper, place the candy into the bag and twist the top opening of the bag about 2 inches above the candy inside. Use a twist tie, ribbon or rubber band to secure the twisted top opening. Properly packaged candy will last longer than unwrapped candy, especially when stored in the refrigerator.