The development history of candy can be traced back three thousand years. The character “yi” first appeared in ancient Chinese texts during the Han Dynasty, and yitang may have been one of the earliest forms of hard candy.

More than a thousand years before the Common Era, the ancient Egyptians made sweets using honey, dates, and figs. During the Tang Dynasty, sugarcane was introduced from India and began to be cultivated in China. From the late 16th century to the mid-18th century, the French extracted crystalline sugar from sugar beets. In the 16th century, Europeans discovered cocoa, but it wasn't until the 19th century that cocoa was transformed into chocolate. It was only in the late 19th century that candy-making processes gradually took shape.

Early candies were primarily made from granulated sugar and liquid syrups. After being cooked down, they were combined with certain food additives and subjected to processes such as blending, cooling, and shaping, resulting in solid sweet foods with varying textures and forms, distinct colors, aromas, and flavors, different packaging designs, excellent shelf life, and convenient portability. The structural organization of these candies is either amorphous or microcrystalline solid. The quality requirements for candies encompass five key indicators: low water absorption, strong resistance to crystallization, low sweetness level, high smoothness, and excellent shape retention.

The origins of candy can be traced back to ancient times, when people initially obtained sweetness from honey and fruits. The ancient Egyptians made desserts using honey, while the Romans enjoyed fruits and nuts coated in honey. As sugar-making technology advanced and sugarcane cultivation spread to various regions, people began using sugar to create a wide variety of candies. Following the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, candy production became mechanized, leading to an ever-expanding array of candy types and gradually evolving into the diverse assortment of confectionery we know today.