The History of Yum CCSS ELA Review Week 6 How chocolate became America’s favorite candy treat By Lauren Tarshis It all started with a smell—sweet and delicious. The year was 1893, and Pennsylvania candy maker Milton Hershey was in Chicago, at the Columbian Exposition, an international fair featuring new and amazing inventions from around the world. From the moment Hershey entered the grand exhibition hall, he was struck by a delectable scent that filled the air like a heavenly breeze. At last, he tracked down its source in a back corner of the hall. There, men from a German company were making chocolate. Hershey watched with fascination as their modern machines transformed bitter cocoa beans into sweet chocolate candies. The beans were roasted, ground, and melted into a hot chocolate “liquor,” which was then poured into molds and cooled. Hershey was already a leading candy maker, the founder of the largest caramel factory in the country. But he would soon become convinced that the future of his own business—and America’s tastes in candy—would be chocolate. Historians don’t know who first discovered the almost-magical appeal of the bitter little seeds inside a cacao fruit. But sometime around 400 B.C., Indians living in today’s central Mexico found that the seeds could be eaten when roasted and ground. By the year 400 a.d., Mayan Indians were drinking a chocolate beverage—cocoa powder mixed with water and spices—and writing about its supposed incredible health benefits. Over the centuries, the popularity of chocolate drinks spread to Europe and the American colonies. By the time Milton Hershey was building his caramel company in the 1880s, candy was widely available in the U.S., but it was expensive, difficult to produce, and uneven in quality. America’s most popular treats were “penny candies,” like peppermints, lemon drops, and other small sweets sold from large jars. Recipes for many of these sweets had come from European immigrants. Italians were known for their hard candies, like jawbreakers and fireballs. Germans specialized in candies made from almond paste and spun sugar. America’s first candy makers toiled in tiny home kitchens. But by 1893, dozens of large companies, like Hershey’s, were all working to satisfy America’s sweet tooth. Hershey bought chocolate-making equipment from the floor of the Columbian Exposition and had it shipped back to his caramel factory in Pennsylvania. He hired two chocolate makers, and soon the company was churning out chocolate candies in more than 100 shapes. His new venture was a success—yet. Hershey wasn’t satisfied. Yes, his chocolates were tasty. But he was determined to make a chocolate that was lighter and creamier than Americans had ever tasted. The secret, he knew, was to add milk. Swiss chocolatiers had been making milk chocolate for years. But their recipes were closely guarded secrets. If Hershey wanted to offer milk chocolate, he would first have to figure out how to make it. His team worked 16-hour days, month after month. Their challenge was that milk, which is 90 percent water, and cocoa butter, which is mostly oil, don’t blend easily together. And when they are finally mixed, they quickly separate. Time after time, Hershey’s milk chocolate experiments ended in oily messes. But finally, in 1900, Hershey succeeded. He sold his caramel business for $1 million so that he could focus completely on chocolate. He bought 1,200 acres of Pennsylvania farmland and built the world’s biggest chocolate factory— and a town, named Hershey, for his workers and their families. By 1915, Hershey’s “nickel bars” were the No. 1 candy in the nation. Visitors who flocked to Hershey, Pennsylvania, admired the tidy streets and impressive factory. But perhaps the town’s most unique and memorable quality was the smell—a chocolaty breeze that filled the air, the same heavenly smell that had captivated Milton Hershey decades before. CCSS ELA Review Week 6 The Making of a Candy Hit How a little alien helped Reese’s Pieces soar It was the late 1970s, and the leaders of the Hershey chocolate company were hungry for a new hit. Hershey’s bars were still American favorites. But the company was in fierce competition with Mars, the maker of Milky Way, Snickers, and M&M’s. Hershey’s leaders wanted to create something new. But it can take years—and tens of millions of dollars—to come up with a recipe that tastes good, can be made in huge quantities, and can sit for months without getting stale. Hershey decided to build on the success of its Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Their idea was to create a candy like the M&M, but with peanut butter in the center instead of chocolate. It took time to get the recipe right. At first, the oily peanut butter caused the candy shell to become greasy. Finally, Hershey’s scientists created a mixture of peanuts and sugar that was smooth and tasty and stayed put within a thin candy covering. The new candy, Reese’s Pieces, was introduced in 1978. Sales were strong at first but soon sagged. Was Hershey’s newest candy doomed to fail? Then came an offer from Hollywood. Universal Pictures was creating a new movie about an adorably homely alien—E.T.—who is stranded on Earth. He is befriended by an 8-year-old boy named Elliott, who uses handfuls of candy to lure E.T. into the safety of his home. In the original script, that candy was M&M’s. But Mars refused to cooperate. And so Universal called Hershey and offered them the chance to have Reese’s Pieces star in the 1982 movie. Hershey’s leaders agonized over the decision. If the movie flopped, the company could be humiliated—and Reese’s Pieces might never recover. But in the end they said yes, and the movie was a smash hit. Almost overnight, Reese’s Pieces became America’s most famous candy. Today, Reese’s Pieces is one of the top-10 best-selling candies in America. And for that, Hershey can thank a delicious recipe—and a cute little alien. CCSS ELA Review Week 6 Directions: Answer the questions in the left-hand column for each article. Then check the appropriate box to indicate if the answers are similar or different. After completing the chart, respond to the writing prompt at the bottom of the page. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate When was it invented? What was the candy makers’ motivation for making it? Was it similar to or different from candy that already existed? What problem did the candy makers face in creating it? How did they solve the problems? What risks, if any, did the candy makers take? How did the public react to the candy? Reese’s Pieces Similar Different You Write It! Which details about the invention of Hershey’s Milk Chocolate and Reese’s Pieces are similar in the two articles? Which are different? Write your answers in two well-organized paragraphs, using evidence from the text. ANSWER KEY Directions: Answer the questions in the left-hand column for each article. Then check the appropriate box to indicate if the answers are similar or different. After completing the chart, respond to the writing prompt at the bottom of the page. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate When was it invented? What was the candy makers’ motivation for making it? Was it similar to or different from candy that already existed? What problem did the candy makers face in creating it? How did they solve the problems? What risks, if any, did the candy makers take? How did the public react to the candy? Reese’s Pieces Similar 1900 Milton Hershey wanted to introduce chocolate to Americans and to make it light and creamy. different 1978 The Hershey Company wanted to introduce a candy to compete with Mars. similar They had to create a recipe to combine milk and cocoa butter, which don’t mix together easily. They worked 16-hour days until they came up with the recipe. Hershey changed his business from caramel to chocolate, even though Americans were unfamiliar with chocolate. They had to find a recipe to combine the peanut-butter filling and the candy shell. They kept experimenting until they got the recipe right. The Hershey Company decided to let Reese’s Pieces appear in E.T. x People loved it. People loved it. x Different X X x x x You Write It! Which details about the invention of Hershey’s Milk Chocolate and Reese’s Pieces are similar in the two articles? Which are different? Write your answers in two well-organized paragraphs, using evidence from the text. CCSS ELA Review Week 6 Directions: Read the articles in “The History of Yum.” Then select the best answer for each question. 1. Milton Hershey discovered chocolate’s appeal by . . . A experimenting with cocoa beans in Mexico. B following a scent at the Columbian Exposition. C buying chocolate from European immigrants. D accidentally making some chocolate. 2. Where was chocolate first eaten, as far as we know? A France C Mexico B Brazil D Canada 3. How did European immigrants affect candy making in the U.S.? A They brought many recipes to the U.S. from their countries. B They brought the first candies to America. C They discouraged people from making candy. D They used secret ingredients to make candy. 4. Why is the creation of milk chocolate important to Hershey’s history? A Chocolate cannot be made without milk. B Milton Hershey stole the recipe from the Swiss. C No one bought Hershey’s until the company created milk chocolate. D Milk chocolate became the No. 1 candy in the nation. 5. The Hershey Company created Reese’s Pieces for all these reasons except: A It wanted to compete with other candy makers. B It was losing money on Hershey’s bars. C It wanted to build on the success of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. D It wanted a candy like the M&M. 6. What is a synonym for quantities in the phrase “can be made in huge quantities”? A bags C factories B pieces D amounts 7. The makers of Reese’s Pieces and Hershey’s milk chocolate both struggled with A Americans’ dislike of candy. B difficulty blending the ingredients correctly. C the cost of candy production. D lack of sales. 8. Which of the following statements is an opinion? A “The new candy . . . was introduced in 1978.” B “Hershey bought chocolate-making equipment from the floor of the Columbian Exposition.” C “But perhaps the town’s most unique and memorable quality was the smell.” D “Today, Reese’s Pieces is one of the top-10 best-selling candies in America.” 9. How did Milton Hershey transform the American candy business? 10. What can you conclude from these two articles about how the Hershey Company has overcome problems? ANSWER KEY 1. B (detail) 5. B (text evidence) 2. C (reading for information) 6. D (vocabulary) 3. A (detail) 7. B (compare and contrast) 4. D (main idea) 8. C (fact versus opinion) 9. Milton Hershey transformed the U.S. candy business by introducing many Americans to the delicious taste of chocolate. (main idea) 10. The Hershey Company has overcome problems by continuing to seek solutions, even when it has faced failure along the way. By not giving up, the company came up with successful recipes for milk chocolate and Reese’s Pieces. (problems and solutions