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