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Could anyone recommend specific research on the actual manufacturing processes of candy in the early modern period?

My project focuses on the materiality of craft. I've found plenty on sugar consumption, but I'm struggling to locate scholarly work that delves into the technical 'how-to' of confectionery—the specific recipes, equipment like sugar loaves and molds, and the organization of confectioners' workshops in the 16th-17th centuries.

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By Akshay R Answered 1 year ago

For the technical side, I recommend delving into specific academic articles that analyze recipe books as technical manuals. Look for work by David B. Goldstein on the materiality of recipes or Erica Hannickel on historic sugar work. Key sources are period manuals like "Delights for Ladies" (1609) and the later, detailed "The Complete Confectioner". Scholars often analyze these to reconstruct processes like casting sugar plates, making sugar-paste, and preserving fruits. From my reading, this research often appears in journals like Gastronomica or The Sixteenth Century Journal, focusing on the convergence of artisanal skill, chemistry, and domestic science in early modern workshops.

 

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