Why Does Every Tourist Attraction Sell Fudge? (2024)
Many North American tourist spots sell fudge. It’s just a thing.
Why fudge? In the normal course of things, fudge is… just another confection. It’s not as ubiquitous as, say, a chocolate bar. And yet, writes Robert Reid for National Geographic, “at least in America, wherever you roam, you can only go to one of two kinds of destinations: those with fudge, and those without.” Fudge is the best indicator of whether or not something is actually a tourist attraction, he writes.
But still: why fudge? “No one wakes up in the morning and goes, ‘Hmm, I need fudge today,’” one fudge-seller at a San Francisco tourist attraction told him. Instead, the kind of people who smell the buttery, sugary, vanillaey whiffs of fudge and reach for their wallets are people who have spare cash and time to kill. In other words: tourists.
If you head to any small town that’s regularly visited by tourists, writes Hamilton Nolan for Gawker, you’ll see it: not just some fudge, but a lot of fudge, usually made at a place that specializes infudge. This is true across the country and in Canada too.
The tourism-related fudge craze is nothing new, either, Reid writes. It’s been around since the Victorian period, when tourism as we would think about it first became a thing. At that time, he writes, watching fudge-making was a common tourist activity in places like Niagara Falls. “From sidewalks outside candy shops, tourists would peer through plate-glass windows in awe as mustachioed fudgeteers confidently combined vats of sugar, butter and milk, then guided the mixture into oversized machines that noisily churned out delicious slabs of sticky goodness,” he writes.
Of course, fudge-makers had planned this spectacle, realizing that “people will stop to see almost anything done,” as one 1901 pamphlet observes, “especially if the performance requires some particular knowledge.”
According to Reid, the first-known recipe for fudge is in a letter written by a Vassar college freshman named Emelyn Battersby Hartridge. “From that point on, the all-female student body carried on quite the tradition, swapping fudge recipes, singing songs about it and making it in bulk to raise money for the school,” he writes.
An 1898 newspaper describes fudge as “a wonderful Vassarene confection composed of molasses, sugar, butter and heaven knows what else.” Another newspaper from the same year indicates that by this point, fudge had reached Bryn Mawr.
At some point, though, fudge left the colleges. Some entrepreneurial person started selling this novelty at a tourist spot. The swell of tourism after the Civil War, unfolding only a little before the birth of fudge, created a new market, one hungry for entertainment in all its forms.
So maybe fudge—like Dippin’ Dots or cotton candy—became a tourist dessert because it was a novel way of making sweets. Fudgeries provided both the entertainment of watching something new and unusual being made and the happy junk-food rush of eating a filling, sweet candy. And today, although fudge isn’t something new, both those pleasures persist. It’s a winning recipe, so why change it?
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Today, fudge shops satisfy vacationers in two ways: it's entertaining to watch something being made, and they provide a nearly sinful treat reserved for special occasions. As Patch Hyde of the Fudge Kitchen, a U.K. chain with American roots, explained to Reid, fudge is a simple extravagance.
So maybe fudge—like Dippin' Dots or cotton candy—became a tourist dessert because it was a novel way of making sweets. Fudgeries provided both the entertainment of watching something new and unusual being made and the happy junk-food rush of eating a filling, sweet candy.
Whether you visit Mackinac Island on National Fudge Day in June or any other day – maybe during the Mackinac Island Fudge Festival in August – come find your favorite flavor and experience the fudge capital of the world!
Its inexpensive, unrefined qualities made it popular among people looking for an alternative that fell between expensive candies and the cheapest sweets.
Culinary legend has it that fudge was invented in America. On Valentine's Day, 1886, a confectioner and chocolate maker in Baltimore, Maryland "fudged" a batch of French caramels. The delicious result? The very first batch of "fudge" ever.
Chocolate-hungry veterans on vacation spurred the fudge business on Mackinac Island, and later, in resort towns across the country. As if potential customers needed any more enticement, fudge purveyors used fans to blow the smell of cooking fudge into the street, luring in passers-by helpless to the aroma.
After years of testing recipes, we're pretty sure we have a handle on the most popular fudge flavors, but chocolate and cherry will always rank high on the list.
By most accounts, the first batch of fudge was concocted in Baltimore in the 1880s. By the turn of the century, fudge-making arrived on Mackinac Island in northern Michigan, which today has a legitimate claim as the modern day fudge capital.
Whether it's chocolate, nut-filled or even swirled with peanut butter, fudge is a holiday favorite. But clocking in at around 130 calories and 5 grams of fat per ounce, this rich treat is far from a healthy choice. ... Fudge also boasts very little in terms of health.
Cold Fudge: Traditionally, fudge is served at room temperature or slightly chilled. This makes its texture firm yet creamy, making it easy to cut and bite into. The flavours are also more pronounced when fudge is eaten cold or at room temperature, as chilling can concentrate the sweetness and richness.
When fudge is a verb, it means to avoid straightforwardly answering a question or addressing a subject: "Just answer my question and don't fudge the issue!" Fudge is an American word from college slang meaning "a made-up story."
“What's unique about Mackinac fudge is the way that it's made, on the marble slabs, large batches at a time in a very dramatic process,” Porter explained. According to Porter, candy has been a popular foodie souvenir here since Mackinac Island became a popular tourist destination in the late 1800s.
Fudge is one of the rare exceptions to the rule that sugar crystals are not desirable in candy. Tiny microcrystals in fudge are what give it its firm texture. The crystals are small enough, however, that they don't feel grainy on your tongue, but smooth.
Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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