Sweets/Treats Taffy

taffy
(from The Housekeeper's Encyclopedia of Useful Information for the Housekeeper, by E. F. Haskell, 1861)

Ingredients:

​

3 lbs. sugar​

1 pint water​

1/2 tsp. citric acid​

juice of 3 lemons, or 4 oranges​

butter for pan​

​

Instructions:

​

Three pounds of sugar dissolved in a pint of water, in which half a teaspoon of citric acid has been dissolved; remove the scum as fast as it rises. Boil until it will crack when dropped in cold water; remove from the fire, and add the juice of three lemons or four oranges. Mix it well and boil very gently, until it is as hard as before the lemon was added; pour it in square buttered pans. It should be about an eighth of an inch thick when cold. Before it hardens mark it off neatly in small blocks that it may break regularly.​

Taffy was very popular in the 19th Century. There were taffy parties and pulls held as entertainment.

A delicious treat that is worth making. Enjoy!

 

[KianGaf]

Never tried taffy. I've seen salt water taffy mentioned as a sea side treat.

 

[Fairfield]

Never tried taffy. I've seen salt water taffy mentioned as a sea side treat.

Surely an aficionado can correct me but I don't think that there's much (if any) difference. Salt Water taffy often contains a bit of maple. AFAIK there's no salt water and there's no salt in SWT. It originated in New Jersey and is a triumph of good marketing. It's usually pulled rather than cut out of the pan--but I should think that the taffy from Iowa is every bit as good as SWT from Maine.

Now I'll probably be booted out of the state for saying so!

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Donna, whenever I read your posts I get hungry.

 

[donna]

Bumping for National Taffy Day, May 23.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

AFAIK there's no salt water and there's no salt in SWT. It originated in New Jersey and is a triumph of good marketing.

Very true.

Growing up, salt water taffy was always a once-per-year big deal even down here ... (independent vendors making/selling this candy at the annual State Fair).

Personally I never cared for it, but back in the mid 60's ... watching those taffy machines in operation was mesmerizing for my little young self.

I learned only a few years ago the "salt water" description came about to make a Jersey ocean side treat sound more exotic to the inland rural folks.

A triumph of great marketing indeed !

 

[Tennessee Union Gal]

I am a fiend for salt water taffy. My favorite is Molasses Mint.

 

[donna]

I always liked chocolate and strawberry. They made great taffy in the Smokies in Gatlinburg. Always bought some when visited there.

 

[Tennessee Union Gal]

My mother made it once when I was a girl, just to give my brother and I the experience. It was fun but the taffy itself was not memorable.

 

[JOHN42768]

Fully approved by the American Dental Assoc.. The rude awakening while chewing and realize your filling is now part of the clump, but still like it. I think the "Sugar Daddy" taffy sucker was the earliest form of super glue

 

[donna]

There was question on what is Taffy. Thought bump this thread.