This book is the most bmbitious and eclectic reference work of its kind, a sweeping collection of nearly 600 entries on all things sweet, written by 265 expert contributors. In addition to learning the history of candy, the evolution of the dessert course and the production of chocolate, readers will discover entries on "sugar of lead" (lead acetate), prescribed for stomach troubles in the nineteenth century, and "castoreum" (beaver extract), beloved by the modern food industry for the sweet taste it imparts.