It is sin to spend a valentine's without the quintessential red velvet cake or a luscious chocolate cup cake today. But ever wondered why, when and how these became a key essential to the day of love? Who started it and how?
Read on to know the story behind all the celebrated V-Day treats over decades.
By: Madhulika Dash
Sweet Candy Hearts
Started during the time of the Civil War, these were known as cockles and were made of sugar and flour and contained mottoes or sayings, which were printed on thin paper and rolled up inside the folded, shell-shape candy.
This was until Boston-based Englishman Oliver Chase began inventing devices that cut candy lozenges and pulverized sugar in 1847.
And thus was born the first confection similar to Sweethearts, but in the shape of scallop shells. Messages written on colored paper were now tucked inside the fortune cookie-style candy.
Two decades later, Oliver's brother Daniel designed a machine that stamped words directly on the candies with red vegetable dye. Later these candies were given the typical heart shaped to suit the mood.
Chocolate In A Box
Existing since the time of the Mayans, Chocolate came to Europe through Mexico and Spain with Christopher Columbus. But for most part of its early life remained the privy of the rich.
That was till the chocolate compound was discovered and making chocolate commercially became viable. Yet irrespective of niche popularity, chocolate had attained the reputation of love food because of its properties, and was a gift of love exchanged between lovers.
Under Queen Victoria's rule, the V-Day was celebrated not only with little notes and cupid bedecked gift, but also chocolates.
The first Valentine's Day box of chocolates however was introduced by Richard Cadbury (founder of Cadbury the brand) in 1868, three decades after the royal chocolatier had presented the queen with an array of bite size chocolates with different fillings for Valentine's.
Three decades later, another chocolate pioneer by the name of Milton Hershey launched tear-dropped shaped "kisses," which were so-called because of the smooching noise the chocolate made as it was manufactured and in the mouth.
Created about 1860 by a San Francisco miner who dipped his oysters into ketchup, this was perhaps the first time that a red colour dish became a part of the Valentine's celebration.
In fact, it's interesting presentation - that of oyster swimming in ketchups in a glass - made it a center of attraction of a lot of lunches hosted to celebrate the V-Day.
In fact, the life of - Bloody Mary began as the Oyster Cocktail, a recipe for a warm nonalcoholic drink containing tomato juice, Tabasco, lemon juice, and oysters in 1892 till it came on its own in 1920.
Red Velvet Cake
Initially called the "$100 cake" or "Waldorf cake, the birth of the red velvet cake back in the mid 1800s was more as a velvet cake, known more for its velvety fine crumbs than colour.
Rather soft in its taste feel, it was, says Irma S. Rombauer author of "Joy of Cooking", not a chef favourite. This "bland and uninteresting" creation was made famous at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, where it was served on the menu as their "original cake."
Though the reason Red Velvet became famous as a love treat instead of the Civil War popular Mahogany cake made with cocoa and coffee is courtesy "Steel Magnolias".
The 1989 movie showed a Red Velvet Cake as a groom's cake. Since then Red Velvet heart shaped cake has been a love day essential.
Heart Salad and Strawberry Souffle
A rather late entrant to Cranberry pies that established red or pink as Valentine's Day colour, the mention of the first heart salad as a official V-Day treat was in 1928 San Francisco Chronicle.
The salad though followed an age old recipe did give the traditional spring salad a twist by being the first of a kind to be served as a jelly. That’s right, a salad jelly! Made with tomatoes, onion juice, celery, bay leaf, cayenne, salt, this sweet-tangy salad dressing was milk, vinegar and gelatin. The salad set the tone of plating food in heart shaped, and it is still followed to this day.
Yet another treat that set the tone for years to come was the Strawberry Soufflé. Also called the Valentine Souffle, it used canned strawberry juice, fresh strawberry, pineapple, sugar, salt and gelatin to give the first dish. Set in a jelly, the souffle was served in a shot glass topped with whipped cream and egg whites garnished with sweetened nuts.
"Take fine, sound, ripe cranberries and with a sharp knife split each one until you have a heaping coffee cupful; put them in a vegetable dish or basin; put over them one cupful of white sugar, half a cup of water, a tablespoon full of sifted flour; stir it all together and put it into your crust. Cover with an upper crust and bake slowly in a moderate oven. You will find this the true way of making a cranberry pie."
Wrote Mrs. F.L. Gillette and Hugo Zieman in their book "The White House Cookbook" published in 1887. Believed to be the closest to the original cranberry recipe developed in early 17th century as gifts to shower you beloved with, cranberries for long were the first choices to lend treats - be it sandwich, cookies, cakes and candies - its typical red colour.
A rare occurrence today, back in time it was one of the interesting dishes that was made to personify love - nice, rich, warm feeling with that hint of bitter pain. It was one of must-have V-Day dishes in "Queen of Hearts Cook Book" published in 1915.
Also Read: Flirty foods for Valentine's Day