Vinegar Candy
Old fashioned pulled vinegar candy
City/Region: Boston
Time Period: 1896
Halloween celebrations used to be a real doozy. Children ran amok, ripping up cabbages, lighting huge bonfires, throwing pilfered cabbages at houses, and generally wreaking havoc. In an effort to curb hijinks, towns started hosting Halloween events including plays, carnivals, and costume contests. Prizes for the costumes varied from sweaters to salt cellars to bags of candy, like this popular vinegar candy.
If you’re new to making candy, I suggest making the harder version because it’s much easier to handle and your entire kitchen won’t be slightly sticky like mine was. Despite the name, it doesn’t taste like vinegar at all, but has a hint of caramelized bitterness that’s lovely. Go wild and add colorings or flavorings to jazz things up! Give this recipe a go and keep the kids out of trouble and your cabbages safe by enlisting them to help when it comes time to pull the candy.
“Put butter into kettle; when melted, add sugar and vinegar. Stir until sugar is dissolved, afterwards occasionally. Boil until, when tried in cold water, mixture will become brittle. Turn on a buttered platter to cool. Pull and cut same as Molasses Candy.”
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) apple cider vinegar, or other mild vinegar
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) melted butter
- A pinch of salt, optional
Instructions:
- Butter a large baking dish, then set it aside.
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a saucepan and set it over medium heat, stirring constantly. Use a candy thermometer if you have one (recommended, it can be very tricky without one).
- Once the mixture starts to simmer around the edges, stop stirring. If you stir after this point, you might create crystals and you’ll have to start all over again. Continue to heat until the candy reaches 300°-310°F (149°-154°C), or the hard crack stage (see notes for alternatives).
- When the mixture reaches the temperature you want, pour it immediately into the buttered dish and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Butter your hands well (or use latex gloves, it’s easier and not as messy), and when the candy is just cool enough to handle, pull it up from the bottom of the pan. It should still be quite warm. Fold the candy in half over itself, then gently pull it apart. Repeat this process until it has a nice sheen and is difficult to pull, anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Start with the candy in the pan until it’s firm enough to pick up.
- When the candy is difficult to pull, give it a few last twists and pull it into a long rope. Set it on some parchment paper. Cut it into 1” pieces, wrap them in parchment or wax paper, and serve them forth, though you might want to go with modern candy for the trick-or-treaters.
Notes
- You can cook the sugar mixture to different temperatures if you want a softer candy. Cook to the soft crack stage (270°-290°F or 132°-143°C) for a very firm taffy texture, or the soft ball stage (250°-265°F or 121°-129°C) for a soft taffy texture.
- This candy would be a wonderful base for colorings or flavorings. The softer versions has a more neutral flavor that would take on flavorings very well.