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ROMAN CHEWING CANDY

An old Sicilian family recipe, the taffy we call Roman Chewing Candy, dates back four generations. Angelina Napoli Cortese’s son began making and selling her candy recipe in 1915 from a cart he and wheelwright Tom Brinker designed. It is still in use. Plan an afternoon with the children or some strong teenagers for pulling the taffy.

Yields 24 sticks

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for buttering your fingers during the pulling stage
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup light corn syrup
¾ cup water
1 tablespoon distilled or cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda (reserve until after reaching temperature)
Flavorings: Choose one per batch
Vanilla, pure extract (NOT artificial or Mexican)
Chocolate extract, 1 teaspoon
Strawberry extract, 1 teaspoon
Food coloring to match flavorings

Equipment: Candy thermometer, Waxed paper cut into 3- x 12- inch strips
Marble slab buttered, highly recommended, or a non-stick cookie sheet, buttered
Disposable rubber gloves

Butter a large marble slab or non-stick cookie sheet

In a large, heavy saucepan, mix the sugar and corn starch until combined then add corn syrup, water, vinegar, butter and salt and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. Clip candy thermometer to edge of pan and using a brush dipped in warm water wash sides of pan of any remaining sugar crystals.

Cook the mixture over medium heat, without stirring until the temperature reaches 248°F on a candy thermometer (the hard ball stage). Remove from heat and drop a small drop of mixture into cool water and roll ball between fingers. Should be a firm ball. Keep pot off heat while testing so you don’t risk the mixture getting too hot.

Add the flavoring of your choice and appropriate food coloring to the batch then stir in ¼ teaspoon of baking soda and immediately pour the mixture onto the buttered marble and place in the coolest available spot.

When the taffy is cool enough to handle, put on a pair of disposable rubber gloves, butter the gloves and pull it out into narrow ribbons, double back and pull it out again. Repeat the pulling and doubling over until you have a fine perspiration and toned upper body! Do not pull it until it breaks into little thin strips. Pulling will get more difficult as it gets lighter in color and no longer sticky to the touch. Do not skimp on pulling. Any less than 10-12 minutes will yield a less than chewy taffy.

Divide into about 6 lumps and pull each lump out until it is about 1/2” in diameter and 2 feet long. Twist each pulled strip slightly, and using a buttered scissors, cut it into 8” pieces, then wrap it in waxed paper, twisting the paper closed at each end.

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Ron Kottemann continues to make his great-grandmother’s recipe. The marble slab used for cooling the taffy and the large hook for pulling it are also the same ones. The candy is cooked inside the cart with butane as the fuel. Ron’s father and grandfather used a coal-burning stove. Patty the mule ambles along, rolling her cart and taffy-making kitchen around the city, resting in a different neighborhood each day. Finding the colorful cart parked in the shade of a large oak tree is good luck and a delicious reason to stop for a treat and a nod to tradition.