Steampunk Confectionery "Sweets!"

[Mercurielle]

Ooooh, Fry's chocolate cream, Glacier Mints, Parma Violets, Mint Imperials, Cinder Toffee, and Sugar Mice! Not all quite so victorian, but hey, they're old fashioned.

How could I have forgotten Parma Violets?  My great-grandmother used to give me those.  (Violets are also my favourite flower, so they get bonus points for that, too!)

[The Professor]

Well, I would agree whole-heartedly with the liquorice, preferably as Pontefract Cakes. Sugar crystals too are a delight to make (and very educational too if you have children). Fondents are a particular joy to have. Best of all (despite having most of their active ingredients removed Victory Vs, they even look the part.

[Zwack]

If any of you make it to Edinburgh you must go to "Casey's Confectioners" (They don't have a web site) they were started in 1954 because the owner kept getting requests for all of the sweets from his youth... They make their own sweets (hard candies, chocolates,... ) and they look like they haven't changed since 1954.  Personally I love the Kola Kubes, the Lemon chips, and usually end up with a quarter of mixed boilings as well.  This is one of those stores with the rows and rows of glass jars behind the counter.

It's been a few years since I've been there though.

Z.

[The Professor]

If any of you make it to Edinburgh you must go to "Casey's Confectioners" (They don't have a web site) they were started in 1954 because the owner kept getting requests for all of the sweets from his youth... They make their own sweets (hard candies, chocolates,... ) and they look like they haven't changed since 1954.  Personally I love the Kola Kubes, the Lemon chips, and usually end up with a quarter of mixed boilings as well.  This is one of those stores with the rows and rows of glass jars behind the counter.

It's been a few years since I've been there though.

Z.

In a similar vain there is a lovely shop in Poole, Dorset near the quay called Truly Scrumptious. They also have a website The Pink Sugar Mouse and do lovely hampers.

[Ella Bell]

Wow, some really great sites and suggestions posted here, but I would like to add two of my favorites. I am an amateur food historian with a particular interest in sweets. The Sugar Boy UK store  provided the candy for all the Harry Potter movies and also has a few old style sweets I have not seen anywhere else including West Indian Limes http://www.sugarboy.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2esugarboy%2eco%2euk%2fcgi%2dbin%2fss000001%2epl%3fSS%3dwest%20indies%26PR%3d%2d1%26TB%3dA%26SHOP%3d&WD=lime&PN=West_Indian_Limes%2ehtml%23a10098#a10098 which harkens back to the days of England’s Imperial holdings (and is also delicious!).

I have a confectionary book dating back to the 1880’s from England and marzipan features very heavily along with fruit jellies, much like these pates de fruits from Recchiuti http://www.recchiuti.com/105.html?area=05;id=wALgXwzN .

[Ella Bell]

Another favorite old-style confectioner that I just placed an order with is Dorthy Timberlake Candies http://www.timberlakecandies.com/ . This shop is run by the grandaughter of Dorthy Timberlake, and while many others claim to make barley candy using the Victorian recipe, only Dorthy Timberland actually uses barley water in the recipes (barley sugar candy actually dates back to the 17th century, you can read more about it here http://www.timberlakecandies.com/about_barley.html ). I urge anyone with a well developed sense of whimsy to explore the many extraordinary molded shapes displayed on this site. There is an airship collection of lollypops that are very steampunk http://www.timberlakecandies.com/air.html and a delightfull coffee&tea set http://www.timberlakecandies.com/coffetea.html . The most spectacular in my opinion are the plates http://www.timberlakecandies.com/dishes.html . All molded from vintage and antique glass molds, what an extraordinary centerpiece they would make, and totally edible http://www.timberlakecandies.com/dishes.html .
A few more notes on barely candy, it is recommended for cancer patients, please see the bottom of this page http://www.timberlakecandies.com/about_barley.html. Barley water was used in the past to help with nausea  and it works will to quite the stomachs of chemo patients. When my father was having chemo it gave him relief and I recently ordered it for a friend who's mother is having chemo.
All of the flavors for these candy's are natural and come in some fantastic old fashioned flavors  like sweet birch and violet http://www.timberlakecandies.com/flavor.html .
Please give this delicious candy a try if it interests you, it is a unique experience and supports the last company in the world that produces barley candy.

[Eldon Lucke]

Sherbert lemons, but the proper old ones, from the jar, in a paper bag... mmm...

[vela]

Usually I don't entertain any sweets that aren't chocolate, but black licorice is the exception to that rule for me.
I just found a nice brand called RJs.  It is the real stuff.  None of that generic mass-produced dren.

-vela

[A.Felix]

Rock candy. As in, those sticks covered in crystalized sugar. Nomnomnom.

And toot-sweets! (did those ever get invented in the real world?)

[Mr. Boltneck]

One flavor we don't get much here in the States is black-currant. The UK and as far as I can tell much of Northern Europe has a variety of black-currant drinks and candies, but it's rare here for some reason, except as the occasional import.
It can be odd, the flavors one misses. A friend's husband, a Scotsman, is apparently locked in an ongoing life-and-death struggle to score for Irn Bru when the local shops have it. Apparently, nearly every Scotsman of his generation in the East Bay is attempting to buy the stuff before every other expat, and only a couple of stores have it, on no very predictable pattern. Go figure: I wouldn't go out of my way for Irn Bru, which tastes to me like something that could loosen stuck bolts, with added sugar, although I wouldn't mind if someone started importing Solo orange soda from Norway.

[Vienna Fahrmann]

    Dear Mr. Boltneck.

    I've heard that blackcurrant products are rare in the US bacause it won't grow there, so everything is an import.  (I love blackcurrant).

      Vienna

[leeps]

I recently bought violet candies, and I found the taste rather like "the scent of an old lady's closet". Which is not a good thing.

[clockwork creation]

Sherbert lemons, but the proper old ones, from the jar, in a paper bag... mmm...

i have a bag now 

[Angus A Fitziron]

Fruit bob bons, chocolate limes and jelly babies. Licquorice Allsorts taken as given!

[Ld.Willoughby]

I didn't see them but what about the marshmallow Circus Peanuts. I think they were invented in the early 1800's.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Miles (a sailor)Martin]

Salt water taffy anyone?
       Also, cactus candy out of the weird west, also Bear Sign, aka. doughnuts, to go with the chuckwagon coffee.
                                                                         Miles (a sailor)Martin

[Vienna Fahrmann]

    Only about once every few years, I like a plain, old fashioned American doughnut.  I generally don't do doughnuts; I find them too sweet, but otherwise lack a definite taste.

     Vienna

[phaserrifle]

what about kendal mint cake, for the adventurers around here?
it definately falls into the steampunk time bracket, as it was invented in 1869

[Rockula]

If you have a 'Culpeper' herbal shop in your area you'll find they do a range of Victorian style sweeties in handy and rather nicely decorated tins.

[Miss_M]

I don't know what it is about a Terry's chocolate Orange, but it just screams steampunk. Maybe it's the huge amount of engineering that has to go into opening it just right..

[Captain Quinlin Hopkins]

The Parma Violets.  Quite wonderful, though only 1940's. One of those you either love or hate, as leeps stated.  I've not found them over here, though when one of my co-workers travels over there I pester them to smuggle back a few.  Aniseseed balls, another love hate that I love. Damn* that infernal pond. 

For classic American candies :
Anise squares
butter mints
cherry mash
Mary Jane

homemade:
My mother used to make the best peanut butter cups.  Nothing more complicated than a chocolate outer layer in a mold, drop in a spoonful of peanut butter mixed with powdered sugar, and cover the top with chocolate to seal. 

There was also this sweet she made that I can't recall the name for, but the methodology is as old as frying.  You take a thin batter, an into this dip a metal pattern (perhaps a butterfly or flower (or cog)  and set the pattern being held above the grease with only the battered part being submerged to fry.  The batter then fries up quickly and you gently remove the tapered fried batter from your pattern, let the remaining oil drop off, then sprinkle very lightly with powdered sugar.  This produces a very thin walled light sweet in some rather interesting patterns. 
If you do decide to make these on your own, start off with a recipe for funnel cake batter, and make your metal patterns with about a 15degree taper.  The batter needs to be about 1/2 inch(12mm) deep on the metal, with a little more material above that, as you don't want the batter to surround the metal where it won't fall off after cooking.  I'm sure one of you here knows the name of this and will chime in soon, and a better batter recipe will be easily search able then. 



*We really should dam that thing up to make travel there a bit easier.  Would one of you mad scientist types get on that please?   

[Vienna Fahrmann]

    It's really quite satisfying to give a chocolate orange a good solid thump to get the segments to open.

     Vienna

[Gin-Shakespear]

Salt water taffy anyone?
       Also, cactus candy out of the weird west, also Bear Sign, aka. doughnuts, to go with the chuckwagon coffee.
                                                                         Miles (a sailor)Martin

Cactus candy is my absolute favorite! I would stock up on it as a child when we would take road trips from Cali to TX in the summertime.

Homemade marshmallows are also particularly nice, possibly flavored with lavender, rose or vanilla.

[J. Wilhelm]

what about kendal mint cake, for the adventurers around here?
it definately falls into the steampunk time bracket, as it was invented in 1869

Yes, but now we need a thread just for pastries...  I found a doughnut-like Victorian recipe:
"Soft Crullers"

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

SOFT CRULLERS
This cake recipe requires that you sift three-quarters of a pound of flour, and powder half a pound of loaf-sugar; heat a pint of water in a round-bottomed saucepan, and when quite warm, mix the flour with it gradually; set half a pound of fresh butter over the fire in a small vessel; and when it begins to melt, stir it gradually into the flour and water; then add by degrees the powdered sugar and half a grated nutmeg. Take the saucepan off the fire, and beat the contents with a wooden spaddle or spatula, till they are thoroughly mixed; then beat six eggs very light, and stir them gradually into the mixture. Beat the whole very hard, till it becomes a thick batter. Flour a pasteboard very well, and lay out the batter upon it in rings (the best way is to pass it through a screw funnel). Have ready, on the fire, a pot of boiling lard of the very best quality; put in the crullers, removing them from the board by carefully taking them up, one at a time, on a broad-bladed knife. Boil but few at a time. They must be a fine brown. Lift them out on a perforated skimmer, draining the lard from them back into the pot; lay them on a large dish, and sift powdered white sugar over them. Soft crullers cannot be made in warm weather.
From www.victoriana.com

[Miriavas]

http://www.candywarehouse.com/flavigny.html

I love the anise ones, I haven't tried the rose or violet.


I love salty Danish licorice, too. I'm not sure if they would qualify.

Oh and Horehound drops! they would qualify!
And hand made chocolates from local chocolateers...

Okay now I'm hungry I'm going to bed.  à bientôt, Darlings!