Needham (food) facts for kids

A needham is a confectionery dessert bar made from sugar, chocolate, coconut, and potato. It is chiefly associated with the U.S. state of Maine.

The needham became a common dessert in Maine in the late 19th century, and is believed by scholars to have originated from a preacher named George C. Needham, who came to Maine from Needham, Massachusetts to minister and soon became well-known. A candy manufacturer named Seavey named a new dessert he had just begun marketing after the preacher in the early 1870s. The needham includes as its distinctive ingredient the potato, a food cultivated in Maine, especially in Aroostook County. The taste is similar to the commercial Mounds bar. The needham is not widely available outside of northern New England.