SC - Re: That candy stuff

[Mark Schuldenfrei]

I asked Mistress Johanna about that "taffy stuff", and this is an edited
version of her reply.

	Tibor

  Pennydes (or something very close to that--it has been a couple of years
  since my last big batch).
  
  There are descriptions of pennydes and of assaying the different "heights"
  of sugar in Curye on Inglysch. A similar recipe is found in Cariadoc's
  al-Baghdadi--but I can't remember the middle eastern name of the sweetmeat.
  
  If you compare the recipe for basic taffy in Joy of Cooking with the
  originals, there are many great similarities. The modern recipe calls for
  vinegar and that does seem to make the results much more predictable, so I
  do add it. If the humidity isn't right, the whole mess turns powdery and
  chalk-like, this can also happen when you store it.
  
  I have been on a quest for period nougat recipes for many years. There are
  some late period Italian mentions of sweets that might be nougat in banquet
  rolls. I haven't found a period recipe.