compiled in the late 4th or early 5th century AD. One recipe was named "Patina de Piris" or whipped pear cake.

Sweetmeats for pleasurable consumption date back in Europe to England's sugarplums, in the 17th century. Sugarplums were boiled sweetmeats usually made from a combination of dates, almonds, spices and honey or sugar. They were often formed into plum size shapes. Some also suggest candied raisins may have been termed sugarplums. All of the sweetmeats made their way into forms of cakes during the Tudor era.