Valentine's Day February 14 | Bleu Alchemy Cottage

Valentine Confections in the 19th Century

In the 19th Century, exchanging sugary confections was a popular example of the strong regard and devotion that one may have for another. These treats alluded to the feelings that someone might have in their heart and the affection they felt towards them.

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Valentine Confections A Symbol of Love

These dainty, delectable delicacies may have included some of the following:

Homemade Candies and Sugar Plums: Homemade small bites of sugar plums, sugar-crusted almonds, and other sweets. Wrapped in handcrafted decorated containers, embellished with ribbons, or wrapped in lace.
Marzipan: a confection made from white sugar and almond flour, and molded into fruits, hearts, and even flowers was given as a token of fondness.
Chocolates: The company Cadbury of England began making boxes of chocolates, especially for Valentine’s Day during this era.
Heart-Shaped Cakes and Pastries: Patissiers would create heart-shaped cakes and pastries decorated with a glaze or frosting that were given as messages of love.
Love Knots: These were a type of sweet bread. Shaped into beautiful knots to symbolize the bond of love. They were baked or fried and sprinkled with confectioners sugar.
Gingerbread: shaped into hearts or gingerbread men.
Sugar Cookies: cut into hearts or other starry-eyed shapes, and often decorated with icing, were given as Valentine’s Day gifts.

These treats were a symbol of someone’s affection and were given with handwritten Valentines or small poems to represent the loving nature of these gifts. The practice of giving candies and bakery confections as an expression of one’s love on Valentine’s Day has continuously evolved to our modern times. However, the 19th century laid much of the groundwork for today’s tradition of Valentine’s Day.