The kingdom of sweets
Pleasure Gardens and Amusement Parks have always been the realm of tasty treats where sugar-lovers found themselves in a real sweet-tooth’s heaven.
The very fact that sweets were something eaten purely for pleasure rather than survival was a real representation of the extraordinariness of the Fair. The sweets on offer at the Fair included candyfloss, fried pastries, doughnuts, dried and candied fruit, lots of nougat and candies of various shapes. An element of the spectacular was guaranteed by the colours and smells, but above all by the preparation of these foods, which often took place right there in the town square, in an almost theatrical display of the seller’s experience and skill. In fact, the sweet seller was the same skilled craftsman who made the sweets, and his market stand was also his workshop.
Here are a few historical pictures showing scenes of life in the fantastic world of the Fair.
Until the 1960s, it was still easy to find someone at fairs making “Tiramolla”, a type of taffy made from honey and sugar, and the resulting sugary sweets. They were colourful striped sweets that were sold fragrant and still slightly warm.
Preparing the traditional Italian “Tiramolla” candy
Making the brittle and candied almonds by hand
Candyfloss made its first appearance in Italy in 1906 in Udine at the Buffalo Bill Circus. Although it is losing some popularity nowadays, candyfloss is enjoyed all over the world. It is still traditionally associated with festive events such as fairgrounds, circuses, fairs, village festivals and childhood in general.
Mountains of white or chocolate-coated “torrone” nougat sticks on display. The Bossi name is one of the oldest and most prestigious in Italian memory. It is the surname of a Piedmontese family of “torronai” (nougat-makers) who, beginning in 1926, travelled all throughout the most important fairs in northern Italy, eventually arriving at the Santa Caterina Fair in Udine in November of that year.
The famous Beltrame-Bossi cake counter in the 1940s
(G. Pretini, "Dalla Fiera al Luna Park", Trapezio libri, Udine, 1984).
The Canestrelli of Paris
a novelty among sweets in Turin at the Manfredini kiosk in the 1920s.
Among the most imaginative sweet treats of the past were the “Parisian Canestrelli”, large pancakes transformed into various shapes (butterflies, hearts, flowers) using moulds and decorated with charming designs. And that was exactly what the street vendor wanted: to charm the customer's imagination, achieving maximum profit while using as little dough as possible. The “canestrelli” were always accompanied by nougat.
Curio Cattani's confectionery stall in the 1940s
Confectionery stalls at fairs are a strong attraction not only for children, but also for the inner child who is more or less well hidden in all of us. They are inextricably linked to images of joy and light-heartedness. For many centuries, sweets were only available to certain socioeconomic classes. When they appeared at fairs, they represented novelty, inspired gluttony, and aroused the strong urge to break the daily rules of a difficult life that was otherwise full of poverty and deprivation.