Salt water taffy is a type of taffy that originated in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the late 19th century. It is a chewy and soft candy made from sugar, corn syrup, butter, cornstarch, flavoring, and coloring. Contrary to its name, salt water taffy does not contain salt water from the ocean, but it does usually call for salt and water in its recipe. The name "salt water taffy" has a few origin stories, but the most popular one claims that a candy store owner named David Bradley had his entire stock of taffy soaked with salty Atlantic Ocean water during a major storm in 1883. A young girl came into his shop and asked if he had any taffy for sale, and Bradley jokingly offered her some "salt water taffy." After sampling a piece, the girl purchased the candy and proudly walked down to the beach to show her friends. Bradleys mother overheard the whole conversation and loved the name “saltwater taffy,” and that’s what it was called from then on.
When taffy is made, the final part of the process is to pull it, which means it needs to be stretched and then folded over and over again. This adds air bubbles in the candy, making it chewier and lighter to eat. Taffy was first cooked in copper kettles over open coal fires, cooled on marble slabs, and pulled from a large hook. The process of pulling taffy adds air to the corn syrup and sugar mix. First, the puller gets the taffy to about a 5-foot length, then it is looped over itself on the hook, trapping air between the layers. This process makes the candy softer and aerates it.
In conclusion, salt water taffy is a chewy and soft candy that originated in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the late 19th century. It is made from sugar, corn syrup, butter, cornstarch, flavoring, and coloring, and its name has a few origin stories, but the most popular one claims that it was named after a candy store owners entire stock of taffy soaked with salty Atlantic Ocean water during a major storm in 1883. The process of pulling taffy adds air to the corn syrup and sugar mix, making the candy softer and aerated.
