Celebrated on May 23rd annually, National Taffy Day is a holiday on which participants can enjoy a sweet confection that’s been around for at least 190+ years, if not longer. It’s a traditional treat that comes in a number of different colors and plenty of different flavors. There is even saltwater taffy—although we do have to say that it doesn’t actually contain ocean water, but may contain sea salt. Regardless of how you enjoy your taffy, however, this is a day that taffy lovers are going to want to keep on their calendar.

The History Of Taffy

Since the history of National Taffy Day eluded us, we decided to research the history of taffy. However, our search didn’t bring us any closer to this candy’s origin. We do know that this candy predates the 19th century. By this time, taffy pull parties were already extremely popular and an Oxford Dictionary entry for toffee in 1825 listed toffee as a form of taffy, so needless to say, it’s been around for quite a while.

Saltwater taffy, on the other hand, was invented a little more recently. At least the word was coined a little bit more recently. It was coined in Atlantic City, New Jersey during the mid-1880s. According to taffy lore, when a candy storeowner’s shop got flooded, he decided to sell it as saltwater taffy. What’s the difference between regular taffy and saltwater taffy? Nothing really, they’re basically the same product and there are no legal definitions that differentiate regular taffy from saltwater taffy.

Sweet Facts About Taffy

As we researched this holiday, we found some great nuggets of information about it, so we decided to share those fun facts below. We hope the following facts satisfy the sweet tooth of everyone who celebrates National Taffy Day.

• David Bradley was the candy maker who coined the term “saltwater taffy.”
• Modern technology allows confectioners to produce over 1,000 pieces of taffy per minute.
• The most popular taffy flavors are chocolate, peppermint, and cinnamon.
• Other popular taffy flavors include cotton candy, vanilla, and banana.
• There are over 100 different taffy flavors available to consumers.

Observing National Taffy Day

National Taffy Day can be observed by enjoying some of your favorite taffy flavors or buying taffy for someone else. Or, if you’re a bit more adventurous, you can try to make your own taffy. After all, making your own taffy isn’t as hard as you might think it is and it’s a lot of fun, too. It’s also worth mentioning that a lot of taffy factories offer guided tours, so it might be fun to schedule a tour on this day. Watching taffy getting made is almost as much fun as eating the taffy. While you’re enjoying taffy in its various forms, don’t forget to use the hashtag #NationalTaffyDay to let everyone else know you’re enjoying this sweet, chewy holiday.