Please can someone tell me what Salt Water Taffy is?

A welshman swimming in the sea, saltwater taffy

Salt water taffy is a kind of taffy originally produced and marketed in the Atlantic City, New Jersey area beginning in the late 19th century.

The origins of the name are unknown. It could be because the recipe for the candy contains both salt and water. The most popular, although probably apocryphal, story concerns a candy-store owner, Mr. David Bradley, whose shop was flooded during a major storm in 1883. His entire stock of taffy was soaked with salty Atlantic Ocean water. When a young girl asked if he had any taffy for sale, he is said to have offered some "salt water taffy." The girl was delighted, She bought the candy and proudly walked down to the beach to show her friends. Mr. Bradley's mother was in the back and heard the exchange. She loved the name and so Salt Water Taffy was born.[1]

RECIPE:ATLANTIC CITY SALT WATER TAFFY

1 cup sugar

1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2/3 cup corn syrup

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

flavoring

Combine sugar and cornstarch, put into a saucepan, and add corn syrup, butter, and water.

Stir until boiling point is reached, and boil until mixture reaches 256°F or until a small portion forms a ball when tested in cold water.

Add salt, pour onto a greased slab and allow to cool slightly until the mixture can be handled. Pull until light in color.

Divide into separate portions, and color and flavor each portion as desired, while it is being pulled.

Lemon, orange, peppermint, lime, strawberry, or pineapple flavors may be used, and pink, green, yellow or orange color pastes. (Don't use too much color - the candies are usually quite pale and pastel in tint).

To make red striped kisses, have one portion of candy brightly colored red and let warm near the oven. Lay the large piece of pulled taffy on the marble slab. On the upper side, lay two or three parallel strips of red taffy; turn the piece over and lay two or three read strips on that side.

Pull out until 1 1/2 inches wide and 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut into pieces with a scissors and wrap in wax paper. Twist ends of paper to seal.

Salt water taffy is a kind of taffy originally produced and marketed in the Atlantic City, New Jersey area beginning in the late 19th century.

The origins of the name are unknown. It could be because the recipe for the candy contains both salt and water. The most popular, although probably apocryphal, story concerns a candy-store owner, Mr. David Bradley, whose shop was flooded during a major storm in 1883. His entire stock of taffy was soaked with salty Atlantic Ocean water. When a young girl asked if he had any taffy for sale, he is said to have offered some "salt water taffy." The girl was delighted, She bought the candy and proudly walked down to the beach to show her friends. Mr. Bradley's mother was in the back and heard the exchange. She loved the name and so Salt Water Taffy was born.

Whatever the origins, Joseph Fralinger popularized the candy by boxing it and selling it as an Atlantic City souvenir. His company is still one of the largest retailers of salt water taffy.

Fralinger's first major competition came from candymaker Enoch James, who refined the recipe, making it less sticky and easier to unwrap. James also cut the candy into bite-sized pieces, and is credited with mechanizing the "pulling" process.

In the early 1920s, John Edmiston obtained a trademark for the name "original salt water taffy," then demanded royalties from companies using his newly acquired name. He was sued over this demand, and in 1923, the Supreme Court of the United States decided that the phrase had been in common use too long to claim royalties.

It is made traditionally in large batches that you have to "pull" and knead to work the candy. It is like a caramel, but can have many flavors.

Here is a recipe:

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1 cup light corn syrup

• 2 teaspoons glycerin (optional)

• 3/4 cup water

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 to 1 teaspoon flavoring (such as vanilla, lemon, maple, or mint)

• 3 drops food coloring (optional)

• a large (3- to 4-quart) saucepan

• a wooden spoon

• a candy thermometer

• a pastry brush

• waxed paper or plastic wrap

• a marble slab or cookie sheet

• greased scissors or butter knife

(Don’t try to make taffy on a rainy or humid day.)

1. Mix together sugar and cornstarch in the saucepan.

2. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the corn syrup, glycerin, water, butter, and salt. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.

3. Continue stirring until mixture begins to boil, then let cook, undisturbed, until it reaches about 270° F or the soft-crack stage. Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water while the syrup cooks.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add food coloring and flavoring. Stir gently, then pour onto a greased marble slab or into a shallow greased cookie sheet to cool.

5. When the taffy is cool enough to handle, grease your hands with oil or butter and pull the taffy until it's light in color and has a satiny gloss. You can have a friend help with this step, which should take about 10 minutes.

6. Roll the pulled taffy into a long rope, about 1/2 inch in diameter, and cut it with greased scissors or a butter knife into 1-inch-long pieces. Let the pieces sit for about half an hour before wrapping them in wax paper or plastic wrap and twisting the ends of the wrapper.

Salt water taffy is an American chewy toffee (like toffee pennies in a box of Quality Street).

British = toffee

American = taffy

I saw something once on the food network about this. There is no salt water in it at all, it just originated in Atlantic City, like some other folks said. It was just sold near some salt water and the name stuck...It's all marketing gimmicks.

A Sea Faring Welshman.

One of the best candies invented.

chewy candy