This is a tale of Madison, Indiana’s, century standing tradition of sweet and tangy "fish candy."

It started in the mid-1800’s when Frederick Glass produced the very first "Little Fish Mixed Candy" in a dozen flavors and colors.

Madison’s other confectioners, McCauley and Mundt, joined in and by the early 20th century, hundreds upon hundreds of pounds of fish candy were produced annually.

The candy was made each fall when cool weather gave our Ohio River town relief from its humid summer…and the fish would not stick to each other.

Offered in November and December, the candy quickly became a favorite holiday tradition. Madisonians shipped the fish-shaped sweets to family and friends across the country and to foreign lands. Folks still tell tales of their first fish candy.

Why fish? Some say the candy fish reflected the river’s importance to our city’s commerce. Given during the holiday season, others see the fish as a symbol of Christianity.

Today, just as it was nearly a century ago, Mundt’s fish candy is made in the same third-floor candy kitchen in the same 1835 building with tall windows overlooking Main Street Madison and the leafy river bluffs.

Using much of the original candy equipment, the fish start with the finest ingredients mixed in huge, decades-old copper kettles. Once thickened by the heat, the sugary blend is poured onto long, heavy stone tables where it is cooled and worked to just the right consistency. The candy is then carefully fed by hand into matched brass rollers. The result is perfect little fish.

Now available year-round, we hope Madison’s fish candy warms your heart as it has for generations before.