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Conversation hearts are heart-shaped candies with sweet sayings like “I love you” made by NECCO. Originally, they were shaped like seashells with sayings on pastel paper. The modern version is pastel-colored with red vegetable dye. They have a distinct texture and flavor and are stable for years. They are popular around Valentine’s Day and are often gifted in little boxes with decorative designs. They have become a cult icon and appear in contests, films, and literature.
Conversation hearts are heart-shaped wafer candies that are imprinted with short, sweet sayings like “I love you” and “Be good.” The most famous brand of conversation hearts is probably Sweethearts, made by the New England Candy Company (NECCO), which has been making these sugary sweets for more than 100 years. Conversation hearts tend to be big sellers around Valentine’s Day, thanks to their heart shape and love-themed sayings.
The hearts in the original conversation weren’t hearts at all. They were candies known as clams, formed in the shape of seashells wrapped around a piece of pastel paper with a saying on it. Clams weren’t just for lovers either; a number of different types were produced to be handed out as party favors and discussed in drawing rooms. When NECCO developed its unique diamond cutter and candy paste in the 1800s, one of the company’s founders had the brilliant idea of printing sayings directly onto the candy.
The modern conversation hearts are done in pastel colors, with the red print created with vegetable dye. When these candies were first introduced, they were printed on a number of shapes, including horseshoes, shamrocks and baseballs, with NECCO realizing over time that hearts would be an enduring popular seller. The Sweethearts brand features a number of sayings, many of which are swapped out every year to spice things up.
The texture and flavor of the hearts of the conversations are quite distinct. Some people really like it, while others say these candies remind them of sugary carton. According to NECCO, the sweethearts are made with sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, gum, coloring and flavoring, and it’s safe to assume that the imitators use a similar recipe. These candies are extremely stable, as they have no ingredients to dissolve or turn rancid, and as a result, are potentially edible for years after production, even though they may start to look stale.
You may see bowls of conversation hearts in offices around Valentine’s Day, and many companies make them in little boxes for gifting. In some cases, the box is a Valentine’s Day, with a sweet saying or decorative design that is meant to convey friendship and affection. Conversation hearts have become a cult icon in some regions that can be seen featured in contests that involve guessing how many conversation hearts are inside something, and also appear in films and popular literature.
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