What is the difference between salt water taffy and regular taffy?
Taffy is a type of candy made from mixing sugar, butter, flavors (usually fruity), and coloring. The mixture is boiled, and as it cools, it is stretched to form a fluffy, sticky, chewy mass of filling pulling candy. When taffy was first developed the pulling was done by hand, between two people, however most manufacturers now use a machine with rotating metal hooks to pull the taffy to form its consistency.
In the latter half of the 19th century, the first batch of salt water taffy was produced and sold in Atlantic City, but the origins of the name are unknown. There was an unverified source, which claimed a significant storm flooded an Atlantic City candy store, soaking the stores taffy in salty ocean water. The salty candy was a hit, and some taffy manufacturers began to add a small amount of salt water to the mix.
Today, many coastal cities manufacture salt water taffy, which tourists love to gobble up, however many manufactures do not stick with tradition, and salt water taffy is nothing more than another name given to plain old taffy.
