In the Middle Ages rich people ate desserts like preserved fruits, jelly and dried fruit and wafers made from batter.

The word biscuit is derived from the Latin words bis cotus, meaning twice baked. The idea of making biscuits goes back to the Romans. However biscuits as we know them were developed in the late Middle Ages.

The Romans knew that eggs could be used for binding. However custard, as we know it was invented in the Middle Ages.

However in the Middle Ages most puddings were meat based. Rice pudding was known but until the 19th century it was regarded as a medicine. It was supposed to be good for digestive ailments.

The Tudors were also fond of sweet foods (if they could afford them). The rich ate preserved fruit, gingerbread, sugared almonds and jelly. However in the 16th century sugar was very expensive so most people used honey to sweeten their food.

Marzipan was introduced into England in the late Middle Ages. It is a paste made of almonds and sugar. The Tudors used marzipan to make edible sculptures of animals, castles, trees and people called subtleties.

From the Middle Ages people ate simnel cakes. (Simnel was originally the name of a fine flour).

At Christmas the Tudors enjoyed mince pies, but they had far more significance than today in that they had 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and the apostles, they contained fruit (raisins, currants, prunes) and spices (cloves, mace, black pepper, saffron) and also mutton to represent the shepherds. The fashion was for them to be shaped like a crib, but this practice was banned by Oliver Cromwell.

The Tudors also had Christmas pudding but this was shaped like a sausage and contained meat, oatmeal and spices. Twelfth Night cake was fruitcake baked with an item in like a coin or dried bean, whoever found it became King or Queen or host for the evenings entertainment.

Another dessert, syllabub was invented in the 16th century. Moreover Banbury cakes were first mentioned in 1586.

Blancmange was originally chicken stew but in the 17th century it became a white dessert. Barley sugar also dates from the 17th century.

It is not known when liquorice was first grown in England. It was originally a medicine and Pontefract cakes were first made in the early 17th century. Bread and butter pudding also became a common dish in the 17th century.

In the late 17th century the rich began eating ice cream. Many rich people built special underground chambers in the grounds of their houses for preserving ice during the summer. The ice was covered in straw to preserve it.

In the late 18th century people began to eat macaroons.

19th Century Desserts and Sweets

For centuries most puddings were meat based. In the 19th century puddings took on their modern 'sweet' form. Furthermore in the 19th century, with the Industrial Revolution the mass production of cakes and jelly began.

Also in the 19th century people began to eat birthday cakes. Battenburg cake was invented in the 19th century. So was Swiss roll.

Bakewell tart is known locally as Bakewell pudding. It was, supposedly, invented by accident in 1859. However similar puddings were made in the area as early as the 16th century and the 'accident' story is now seen as doubtful.

Several new biscuits were invented in the 19th century including the Garibaldi (1861), the cream cracker (1885) and the Digestive (1892). Furthermore new sweets were invented during the 19th century including peanut brittle (1890), candy floss (1897) and liquorice allsorts (1899). Potato crisps were invented in 1853.

For centuries people drank chocolate but the first chocolate bar was made in 1847. Milk chocolate was invented in 1875.

20th Century Desserts and Sweets

Several new foods were invented in the 20th century. People had been eating ice cream for centuries but in 1903 the ice cream cone was invented. Choc-ices went on sale in the USA in 1921.

Many new kinds of confectionary were introduced in the 20th century. They included Milky Way (1923), Crunchie (1929), Snickers and Freddo (1930), Mars Bar and Whole Nut (1933), Aero and Kit Kat (1935), Maltesers and Blue Riband (1936) and Smarties and Rolo (1937). Later came Polo mints (1948), Bounty (1951), Yorkie and Lion Bar (1976) and Twix (1979). Also in the 20th century new biscuits were introduced including the bourbon (1910) and HobNobs (1986). Furthermore the ice lolly was invented in 1924.

Meanwhile boxes of chocolates were introduced. Milk Tray dates from 1916. Black Magic was introduced in 1933. Dairy Box and Quality Street came in 1936. Cadbury's Roses date from 1937.

The first ready salted crisps were sold in 1960. Flavoured crisps followed in 1962.

A history of food

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