taffy

/ˈtæfi/

/ˈtæfi/

Other forms: taffies

Taffy is a very sweet, chewy candy. You can find brightly colored boxes of taffy in tourist gift shops.

Taffy is made by repeatedly stretching a mixture of boiled sugar, butter, and flavoring. The stretching, or "pulling" of taffy is what gives it a light, chewy consistency. In coastal towns, it's usually called "salt water taffy," a name that was coined in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the 1920s. While salt is often an ingredient in salt water taffy, it doesn't actually contain any salt water.

Definitions of taffy

1. noun

   chewy candy of sugar or syrup boiled until thick and pulled until glossy
   types:

   molasses taffy

   taffy made of molasses

   type of:

   candy, confect

   a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts