Salt water taffy
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Salt water taffy is a kind of taffy originally produced and marketed in the Atlantic City, New Jersey area beginning in the late 19th century.
The origins of the name are unknown. It could be because the recipe for the candy contains both salt and water. The most popular story, although probably apocryphal, concerns a candy-store owner, Mr. David Bradley, whose shop was flooded during a major storm in 1883. His entire stock of taffy was soaked with salty Atlantic Ocean water. When a young girl asked if he had any taffy for sale, he is said to have offered some "salt water taffy." The girl was delighted, she bought the candy and proudly walked down to the beach to show her friends. Mr. Bradley's mother was in the back and heard the exchange. She loved the name and so Salt Water Taffy was born.[1]
Whatever the origins, Joseph Fralinger popularized the candy by boxing it and selling it as an Atlantic City souvenir. His company is still one of the largest retailers of salt water taffy.
Fralinger's first major competition came from candy maker Enoch James, who refined the recipe, making it less sticky and easier to unwrap. James also cut the candy into bite-sized pieces, and is credited with mechanizing the "pulling" process.
In the early 1920s, John Edmiston obtained a trademark for the name "original salt water taffy," then demanded royalties from companies using his newly acquired name. He was sued over this demand, and in 1923, the Supreme Court of the United States decided that the phrase had been in common use too long to claim royalties.[2]
Salt water taffy is still sold widely on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, and other touristed beachfront areas throughout the United States.
[edit] References
- ^ Salt water taffy history, accessed June 30, 2006
- ^ "Salt Water Taffy" Makers win fight Against Patent." The New York Times, March 30, 1925, p. 19, col. 7.
