History of Salt Water Taffy

Just to set things straight from the beginning - salt water taffy is not exactly made from salt water. You do need some salt and some water to make a batch of taffy, however. But the name "salt water taffy" doesn't come from the ingredients either.

No one knows exactly where the name "salt water taffy" came from, however this seems to be the most popular of the legends: In the summer of 1883, a tidal surge from a summer storm swamped David Bradley's Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Store and buried his entire candy inventory in sea water. As he was cleaning up the following day a girl walked into his store and asked for a bag of taffy. Bradley was supposed to have sarcastically invited his young customer to help herself to his "salt water taffy." Bradley's mother thought his grumpy remark to be catchy and encouraged him to begin selling his candy as "salt water taffy."

Just as no one really knows the first person to coin the phrase "salt water taffy," there is no record of the individuals who first boiled a vat of sugar, corn syrup, water, cornstarch, butter and salt to make the first "salt water taffy." Taffy is thought to have been a popular confection at country fairs in the Midwest in the 1880s along with being sold in America's first seaside resort by that time - Atlantic City.

Salt Water Taffy came to the Grand Strand by way of the legendary Candy Castle, near the Pavilion on Ocean Boulevard. opening in the late 40s, millions of Myrtle Beach vacationers have savored various flavors of this confection ranging from traditional vanilla to fruit, and even licorice!

Today, all along th Grand Strand, you can be treated to the best Salt Water Taffy brought to you by Canipes Candy Citchens, through their Wee-R-Sweetz stores in Barefoot Landing, Broadway at the Beach, and the Pavilion in downtown Myrtle Beach.