The Salt Water Taffy Shakedown

I always feel like handing out assignments for people to go find out about, then report back to me. Well, things are changing. I'm going to tackle this one myself. I want to know more about salt water taffy.

I love grabbing a bunch of them, not knowing what flavors to expect. Then you unwrap it, peel the sticky body away from the wrapper, and pop it into your mouth for a minute of creamy and chewey heaven. That is--if you get the right flavor. I recently tried a butter popcorn flavor and felt like I had a tablespoon of artificial butter on my tongue that wouldn't melt. If you are ever uncertain about your flavor of saltwater taffy, let me make a suggestion-- try the nibble method. The method is a bit of an art, since you need to get enough to determine the flavor, and to enjoy the bite if the flavor is worthy. Don't try licking...salt water taffy is meant to be a full-mouth experience. You have to commit to biting.

Now, where did the silly name come from? I wish I had something interesting to report on this front, but apparently no one really knows. There is a charming story involving some ocean flooding, some candy, a little girl looking for a treat, and a store owner joking "all we have is salt water taffy." There is also speculation that the name comes from the ingredients. While salt and water are *sometimes* in the recipe, brine, seaweed, and fish pee are not.

Salt water taffy has been around since the late 1800s, and originated somewhere near Atlantic City, where it is now a requisite souvenir purchase. It's made with a variety of ingredients that are not very good for your teeth, including corn syrup, butter, and sugar. The mixture is boiled to a specific temperature (too hot and the candy is brittle, too cool and the candy is chewy). The thickened mixture is then slung over a hook and pulled, over and over. This forces air into the candy, and the candy is pulled until it is five to six feet long. In the old days, people with arms six feet long were employed to do this job, nowadays robots with six-foot-long arms do it. When the candy is too hard to pull any more, it is removed from the hook and put on a table to be cut and packaged.

Some fun facts:

• National Salt Water Taffy day is May 23rd
• Salt Water Taffy is also the name of a 1930s movie, and a band active in the 60s
• Interesting flavors include: Cantaloupe, Grand Mariner, Hawaiian Punch, Jalepeno, Peanut Butter Grape, Pumpkin Pie
• The most popular flavors are: Chocolate, Cinnamon (really?!), and Peppermint.

People are so boring sometimes. I say we work hard to get Jalepeno the recognition it deserves. I'm sure it's such a delightful flavor, and is the perfect compliment to any fajita, taco, or margarita.