Fudge

[Stephen Goranson]

Quoting Michael Quinion <wordseditor at WORLDWIDEWORDS.ORG>:

> The Wikipedia article on fudge says "most stories claim that the first
> batch of fudge resulted from a bungled batch of caramels made on February
> 14, 1886". The story is indeed repeated in various places online. Can
> anyone suggest what original source these writers are quoting?

FWIW, the Vassar archives has a note on Vassar Myths & Legends:

Vassar Student Invents Fudge

A Vassar student from the 1880s with a sweet tooth is rumored to have invented
this chocolatey confection. The Office of Media Relations says this is
a fable,
while Historian Elizabeth Daniels avers it is the truth. The real truth
probably
lies in between these two answers--Emelyn Battersby Hartridge '88 made
fudge for
the senior class auction, but attributed the recipe to a classmate's cousin.
Still, her letter discussing the auction is the first instance of
documentation
for the existence of this sweet treat.

SG

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