Good evening, welcome back to our series sharing Food Holidays: April 23rd, 2021. Let me know what you think about the Food we should celebrate today.
Tomorrow National Taffy Day and that means I should go to the store and pick up Laffy Taffy for Charlie and regular Taffy for David. Because Taffy is David’s favorite candy.
Before you ask me if I like Taffy I don’t but as a child I know I used to have to try it with my parents. But that time is long gone so, no more Taffy for me. How about you?
On May 23, as we celebrate this sweet and chewy treat Taffy has a long history as one of America’s native sweets. Common lore has it that in the 1880s, a Jersey Shore candy shop got flooded, soaking the shop’s taffy stock with Atlantic salt water.
On a lark, the owner sold the candy as “saltwater taffy” and an American delicacy was born! Today Saltwater Taffy is sold on boardwalks up and down the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S.
Saltwater Taffy has even found its way to landlocked candy shops. National Taffy Day is a day to indulge in the pastime of unwrapping the twisty wax paper. Then popping taffy into your mouth. Yum!
Five facts about Taffy:
- Salt water taffy was “invented” in Atlantic City in 1883.
- Modern technology allows confectioners to produce 1,000 pieces of Taffy a minute. Can you believe that?
- In one hour enough pieces of taffy are made to cover one third of the length of Atlantic City (about 1.3 miles). Man, that’s a whole lotta Taffy. My questions is who eats it all?
- The three most popular Taffy flavors sold by Sweet Candy Company are Peppermint, Cinnamon and Chocolate. I wonder which one David and Charlie like the most. How about you which one do you like and why?
Taffy Recipe:
2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 4 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup corn syrup 1 ½ cups water 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 tablespoon orange, or other flavored extract 8 drops any color food coloring
Step 1
In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the butter, salt, corn syrup and water; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to mix in butter. Heat to 275 degrees F (134 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped from a spoon forms hard but pliable threads. Step 2
Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla, flavored extract and food coloring. Pour into a greased 8×8 inch baking dish. When cooled enough to handle, remove candy from the pan, and pull until it loses its shine and becomes stiff. Pull into ropes, and use scissors to cut into 1 inch pieces. Wrap each piece in waxed paper.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
