The History and Origins of Salt Water Taffy: A Sweet Coastal Tradition (2024)

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The History and Origins of Salt Water Taffy: A Sweet Coastal Tradition? ›

Where and When was Salty Water Taffy Invented? There are a few popular origin stories for salt water taffy. The most popular history and origins of salt water taffy claim Atlantic City as the birthplace of this coastal treat. Most historians agree that John Ross Edmiston was involved in its creation in the early 1880s.

salt water taffy, a type of taffy (a chewy and soft candy) that originated in Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. The recipe for salt water taffy does not actually include salt water from the ocean, though it does usually call for salt and water, as well as sugar, corn syrup, butter, cornstarch, flavoring, and coloring.

It was in Atlantic City that taffy added saltwater to its name—though not actually to its recipe. The probably apocryphal origin story of the city's famous saltwater taffy involves a particularly high tide flooding a taffy shop, covering the product with foam.

Saltwater taffy

Some accounts attribute its creation in the 1880s to a mishap in which seawater was inadvertently added to the recipe for taffy, a stretched and aerated candy popularized in the mid-19th century. Others suggest saltwater taffy was born during an 1883 storm.

Salt water taffy

Its late 19th century appellation most likely originated in New Jersey. Salt water taffy is still sold widely on the boardwalks in Atlantic City (including shops in existence since the 19th century), nearby Ocean City, elsewhere at the Jersey Shore, and other beaches throughout the US like Cape Cod.

Since salt water taffy gained its moniker following that offhanded comment after the flooding in Atlantic City, there is really no difference between salt water taffy and regular taffy. There was little or no salt added to the candy over 100 years ago or now.

In 1883, a huge storm hit Atlantic City, NJ, flooding the boardwalk. As a result, the entire taffy stock of candy store owner, David Bradley, was covered in ocean salt water. So when a little girl asked if he had any taffy for sale despite the storm, his response was “I have salt water taffy.” And the name stuck (ha).

Taffy is a sweet treat that can be found at carnivals and boardwalks. However, it is essential to note that a seven-piece serving of saltwater taffy contains 23 grams of sugar. This amount is more than the recommended daily sugar intake for both men and women.

We start by boiling sugars in a large copper kettle to a high temperature. Then we take the supersaturated mass and aerate it, which captures tiny bubbles in the candy to give it that soft, “melt-in-your-mouth” texture. To aerate our taffy, we whip egg whites into the mixture.

Salt water taffy is a chewy and soft candy. It originated in Altantic City, New Jersey. Although it has the name salt water taffy, it does not have any salt water in it. Instead, it is generally made from sugar, corn syrup, butter, cornstarch, flavoring, and coloring.

Is Starburst a taffy? ›

Starburst (originally known as Opal Fruits) is the brand name of a box-shaped, fruit-flavoured soft taffy candy manufactured by The Wrigley Company, which is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated.

Yes, taffy can go bad and generally expires six months after purchase. Homemade taffy expires even sooner and only lasts 3-7 days.

In New England, the tasty treat known as salt water taffy is as Summer as baseball games and barbecues.

Most historians agree that John Ross Edmiston was involved in its creation in the early 1880s. Edmiston owned a small boardwalk postcard shop in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and hired David Bradley to sell taffy alongside his cards. The legend goes that an ocean swell flooded this boardwalk shop one night.

The purpose of pulling the taffy is to add air in to the candy. This allows for millions of air bubbles to form which is how a clear batch of cooked taffy all of a sudden begins to turn bright white. The added air into the product also adds volume, and turns the candy into a much larger piece.

Once upon a time, in both Britain and English-speaking North America, toffee and taffy were variations on the same word. This slipperiness probably started at some point in the late 18^th Century and persisted well into the 20^th Century.