Historically, taffy is an American term while the same confectionery item is termed as ‘toffee’ in Britain. This item gained popularity in both of the regions in 19^th century. In fact, the word ‘taffy’ is older than the term ‘toffee’. Taffy term was continued to be used in America while toffee was used in Britain.

Taffy pulls

A taffy pull is basically a party in which the candies are prepared and served. These parties gained popularity in 19th-century. The candy prepared in these parties mainly consisted of molasses or sugar which was boiled. A typical candy pull or taffy pull party involved a warm kitchen, copper pans and a good supply of aprons and napkins. These parties were considered an ideal way to entertain guests.

The recipes of 19^th century mainly involved boiling of molasses to make the molasses candies. This boiled molasses was then cooled in greased pans. Once partially cooled, the candy was pulled from the pans to make small candies of different shapes.

Origin of salt water taffy

There no documentation available about who created the salt-water taffy and its evolution in America. However, it is believed that this taffy was first sold on commercial level at around 1880s.

You may find it interesting that there is no difference between sat-water taffy and regular taffy. The salt-water taffy got its name after flooding in the Atlantic City. The taffy is given this name by the manufacturers in seaside towns. In reality, there is very little or no difference between salt-water taffy and regular taffy.

The major popularity gain for salt-water taffy was in 1920s as there were 450 companies producing this treat. During that time, John Edmiston obtained the trademark for the name ‘original salt-water candy’. After obtaining this trademark, Edmiston demanded other companies to pay him in order to use the term. Edmiston’s claim was struck down for royalties in 1923 in a definitive Supreme Court case due to the fact that the term had been around for so long.

Ingredients used in taffy making

The two very basic ingredients used in the taffy making until this day include sugar and butter or vegetable oil. These two ingredients are boiled to make a sticky substance.in the past, the candy would be stretched with hands but this stretching has been a labor intensive work. Therefore, machines do the job of pulling candies today.

Taffy making at commercial level

In today’s era, a major part of taffy making procedure is done by machines. Long hooks are used for the stretching of candies in order to aerate them. The taffy is placed in the long metal slabs prior to aeration. Water runs underneath the slabs for the cooling of taffy. After the taffy has been pulled, it is put into another machine which cuts the taffy into small pieces and wraps it.