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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
6 Min
24/10/2025
Halloween is no longer just for the witches of the west. It’s popular in states across India. From desi twists on sweets to DIY costumes and house parties, Halloween has become a new (and immensely popular) reason to enjoy candied treats and deadly dances. And when it comes to the traditional Halloween andies, the history is ‘sweeter’ than you can imagine.
Think Halloween candy is just about sugar and spooks? Witch, please. Beneath every caramel coating and striped wrapper lies a surprisingly weird and wonderful backstory. Take your pick from cakes for the dead to candy once fed to chickens; most of these treats have travelled through time, culture, and sometimes questionable kitchen experiments to end up in your trick-or-treat bag. Here’s dishing out the history of these classic candy treats with a side of spook.
The treat we know as a candy apple (or toffee apple) – a whole apple coated in a hard sugar shell and with a stick inserted – was first sold in the 1890s in London, England. In the U.S., candy‑maker William W. Kolb in Newark is credited with inventing the red version around 1908; he dipped apples into red cinnamon candy and sold them for 5 cents each. These treats became popular at autumn harvest festivals, fairs, and circuses, and later got linked to Halloween.
Before its current name, candy corn was called chicken feed. It was initially made with a mix of sugar, corn syrup, and water. The confection was reformulated later with the addition of fondant and marshmallow. It was invented in the late 1880s by George Renninger of the Wunderle Candy Company in Philadelphia. Fast forward to 1898, the Goelitz Candy Company (now Jelly Belly) popularised the candy. Although now a staple of Halloween, it was originally marketed year‑round to a largely agrarian U.S. population.
Soul cakes (sometimes called soulmass or souling cakes) are small sweet spiced buns with currants, or cakes historically handed out in Britain and Ireland on All Saints’ and All Souls’ days. During medieval times, children and the poor went ‘souling’ – visiting homes, singing or praying in exchange for cakes and a promise to pray for the giver’s dead. This ritual is considered a precursor to the modern trick‑or‑treat custom.
The phrase ‘trick or treat’ and the custom of children going door‑to‑door for treats have their roots in medieval practices: for example, ‘souling’ in England and guising in Scotland and Ireland, where costumed children requested food in exchange for songs or prayers. The modern phrase was first recorded in 1927. After WWII, with the end of sugar rationing and suburban growth in the U.S., candy distribution became central to Halloween’s ‘trick or treat’ tradition.
Barmbrack (Irish ‘báirín breac’, meaning speckled loaf) is a yeast‑bread sweet with raisins and sultanas (a type of grape) traditionally made in Ireland around Halloween. It goes back centuries, where it was said to have been developed from recipes of Irish yeast breads with dried fruits, sometimes flavoured with tea. Historically, it contained hidden tokens or trinkets (such as a ring, coin, or a piece of cloth) whose finder would have a particular fortune (marriage, wealth). The name ‘barm’ may refer to the yeast froth from beer‑brewing used in earlier versions.
This might remind you of Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory (Laffy Taffy), but this taffy is a bit different. It’s from the U.S, and their taffy is often seen as ‘salt‑water taffy’, which is a chewy candy made by heating sugar syrup and then pulling or stretching it until light and chewy. Its name comes partly from a story in which seawater flooded a candy shop in Atlantic City, and the owner joked the resulting candy was ‘salt water taffy’. The mechanical process of pulling taffy introduced many air bubbles and gave the candy its distinctive texture.
It’s what Hagrid gave Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, and in one case, it sealed Harry’s mouth shut. This sticky toffee is also known as bonfire toffee. This British hard toffee is made with black treacle (molasses), sugar and butter. It emerged in England in the 18th‑19th centuries, especially associated with Guy Fawkes Night (5 November) bonfires and fireworks. The candy was once home‑made and broken into pieces with toffee hammers. Over the years, it became a seasonal treat around autumn.
As the oven cools and the wrappers pile up, it’s clear that Halloween’s candies are more than just eye candy. These traditions didn’t just pop up – they were kneaded, stirred, and stretched through time, shaped by ancient beliefs, local customs, and a shared sweet tooth.