If you’re not familiar, Necco Wafers are round, pastel-colored candy disks that look (and, to some, taste) a bit like chalk, or even chewable indigestion medicine (via Mental Floss). They come in a pack of 24 wafers, wrapped in wax paper packaging emblazoned with the red Necco logo.
This gluten-free candy is made up of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, natural and artificial flavors, vegetable gums, chocolate, citric acid, and added colors. Additionally, Necco Wafers comes in eight flavors with corresponding colors. Those include flavors still popular today, like “lemon (yellow), lime (green), orange (orange)… licorice (dark grey) and chocolate (brown),” but also a few more uncommon flavors like “clove (purple), cinnamon (white), and wintergreen (pink)” (via Spangler Candy).
You might think of Necco Wafers as simply your older relative’s favorite childhood candy, but this staple sweet is also much more than that. In fact, it’s been a part of America’s history since way back in 1847.
