The exact origin this popular confection is not known, but it may have originated from a ‘fudge’ batch of toffee.
The first reliable documentation of fudge being made intentionally indicates that it was made and sold by women enrolled at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1898.
These students may not have been the original creators of the candy, but they were certainly among the first. John F Mariani, author of the Dictionary of American Food and Drink has uncovered late 19th century fudge recipes with names like ‘Wellesley Fudge’ and ‘Vassar Fudge’.
The terms ‘fudge’ originally meant playing a hoax. According to rumor, coeds used to trick school officials into letting them stay up late to make candy; that’s probably how the candy got it name. Later ‘oh, fudge!’ became an expletive used by those too refined to cuss.
Later, a competition developed among the colleges regarding who could make the best fudge, which led to the creation of maple fudge, butterscotch fudge, and vanilla fudge.
History of fudge
