Licorice (American English) or Liquorice (British English) is the common name of Glycyrrhiza glabra, a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring can be extracted. Around the 13th century CE licorice started appearing in confectionary. Prior to that time, it was most commonly brewed into a beer, which was consumed both recreationally and for medicinal purposes.

The history of chocolate begins in Mesoamerica. Fermented beverages made from chocolate date back to 450 BC. The Mexica believed that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom, and the seeds once had so much value that they were used as a form of currency. Originally prepared only as a drink, chocolate was served as a bitter liquid, mixed with spices or corn puree. It was believed to be an aphrodisiac and to give the drinker strength.

Gummies, gummy candies, or jelly candies are a broad category of gelatin-based chewable sweets. Gummies have a long history as a popular confectionery. The first gelatin based shaped candy was the Unclaimed Babies, sold by Fryers of Lancashire in 1864. By 1918 they were (and still are) produced by Basset's in Sheffield as Jelly Babies. The gummi bear originated in Germany, where it is popular under the name  Gummibär (rubber bear) or  Gummibärchen (little rubber bear).

Salt water taffy is a variety of soft taffy originally produced and marketed in the Atlantic City, New Jersey area of the Jersey Shore starting in the 1880s. The original invention of the candy has several different stories circulating, likely all made-up. One relates to an assistant who substituted fresh water with sea water—either through laziness or accident. Another cites a storm which caused ocean water to wash over the candy, which was consequently (and successfully) marketed with the appropriate name.