Sweet as Sin "She is obviously passionate about her mission to place candy in an historical and cultural context." "Portland Book Review" wrote: "The book is full of research and black and white photos, but lacks much in true substance." Sweet as Sin Sweet as Sin: The Unwrapped Story of How Candy Became America’s Pleasure is a 2016 nonfiction book written by Susan Benjamin. It focuses on the history of candy and its importance in American culture. The book details the history of the birth of sweets from the harvesting of the marshmallow plant in ancient Egypt to the mass-produced candy innovations of
Mastic (plant resin) from , weeping, and is thought to refer to the "tears" of resin secreted by the mastic plant. Ancient Jewish halachic sources indicate suggest mastic as a treatment for bad breath: "Mastic is not chewed on shabbat. When [is it not permissible to chew mastic on shabbat]? When the intention is medicinal. If it is used for bad breath, it is permissible." Mastic is an essential ingredient of chrism, the holy oil used for anointing by the Orthodox Churches. Mastic is used in some varnishes. Mastic varnish was used to protect and preserve photographic negatives. Mastic is also used in