- Turkish Taffy
Turkish Taffy was a chewy taffy-like candy bar, which came in several flavors. It was invented by Victor Bonomo (pronounced IPA|), a
Sephardic Jew with whose father, Albert J. Bonomo, had emigrated fromTurkey and founded the Bonomo Company inConey Island ,New York in 1897, producingsaltwater taffy and hard candies. [ [http://www.oldtimecandy.com/bonomo.htm Old Time Candy Website] ]According to Tico Bonomo, son of Victor, Turkish Taffy "was not really a taffy, but what is technically known as a short
nougat ," consisting of a batter ofcorn syrup and egg whites that was cooked and then baked. It was also not Turkish, but created afterWorld War II in the Bonomo factory. It has been marketed invanilla ,chocolate ,strawberry andbanana . Originally distributed throughWoolworth's stores in large sheets which were broken off withball-peen hammer s at the counter and sold by weight, in the late 1940s the company released a version in candy-bar size which the purchaser would whack against a hard surface to break it into more bite-sized pieces. Since the pieces were both chewy and slow-melting in the mouth, it was a favorite for the frugal customer. [ [http://www.oldtimecandy.com/bonomo.htm Old Time Candy Website] ] A bar still cost 5¢ in the 1960s.In 1949, Turkish Taffy became one of the first forms of candy advertised and marketed on television, when Bonomo created and sponsored
The Magic Clown onNBC Television. Tico Bonomo specifically cited the decision to use television as instrumental in the popularity of the candy-bar sized taffys. [ [http://www.allbusiness.com/buying-exiting-businesses/mergers-acquisitions/454710-1.html Fifty years of candy: consolidation, clowns and confidence. "Candy Industry", August 1, 1994] ]In 1980 the candy became part of the
Tootsie Roll Industries ofChicago line of candies, and was discontinued in 1989. [ [http://www.oldtimecandy.com/bonomo.htm Old Time Candy Website] ]Notes
External links
* [http://www.bonomosturkishtaffy.com/ BONOMO]
* [http://www.oldtimecandy.com/bonomo.htm Old Time Candy website: Kaufman, Michael T. "Bonomo's Turkish Taffy" New York Times July 4, 1999]
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