Be the first to bring back the memories of Bonomo Turkish Taffy!!
Flavors: 4 Assorted Flavors
Bar Size: 1.5oz Bar
Made in the U.S.A.
Enjoy A Blast From The Past With Bonomo Turkish Taffy
If youve ever wished you could get your hands on a favorite treat from your childhood, Candy.com is the place to look. Within our retro selection, youll find all kinds of surprises. One of our newest and most sought-after old time favorites is Bonomo Turkish Taffy. This retro sensation is only offered through Candy.com and only in limited supply.
At Candy.com, were proud to say we have all the flavors of Bonomo Turkish Taffy you remember as a kid. You can order vanilla, strawberry, banana or chocolate. We even have an assorted selection that includes six of each flavor! To make sure your Bonomo Turkish Taffy arrives in perfect condition, we can ship it with an optional ice pack to ensure freshness.
If you werent around in the years following World War II, you might not know how sweet Bonomo Turkish Taffy happens to be. This incredible selection was unveiled shortly after the war to please budget-minded folks. A single 5-cent bar could be enjoy slowly, offering enjoy chewy sweetness to survive even a double feature!
Victor, the Bonomo behind Bonomo Turkish Taffy, was born into a candy making family. His father Albert made candy at Coney Island in the late 1800s. Right after World War 1, Victor joined his father in the business. Bonomo Turkish Taffy was born when an idea sparked to take corn syrup and egg whites and cook them and bake them into a nougat consistency. The candy, then only in vanilla flavor, took off.
Through the years, the rights to Bonomo Turkish Taffy ended up being sold to several companies before landing in the hands of Tootsie Roll Industries. This company stopped production of the candy after its purchase in the 1980s, but has agreed to make it again for a limited time.
From Bonomo Turkish Taffy to todays favorite confections, at Candy.com were proud to deliver the all right to your door. When you shop us for your favorite sweets, youll see why we stand out from the competition. Unlike other candy stores on the Internet, we serve a wide clientele that includes both individual consumers and retail interests. We even offer a wholesale candy program for our retail partners.
We are the favorite candy store for customers all over American and beyond for these reasons and more:
Our amazing selection Within our inventory you will find thousands of different choices. From jelly beans and rock candy to Bonomo Turkish Taffy and beyond, we strive to offer the most comprehensive selection imaginable. Our inventory includes everything from todays leading brands to yesterdays favorites. It is our intent to be like your corner candy store only bigger, better and more convenient with to-your-door delivery.
Our prices At Candy.com, we strive to offer the most competitive prices possible. Our bulk candy selections save you even more by the piece.
Our convenient delivery We provide all of our customers direct delivery of thousands of different candy options. We even provide a variety of shipping options to meet specific needs.
When you want to enjoy a blast from the past, Candy.com can help. Within our retro collection you will find hard-to-find favorites such as Bonomo Turkish Taffy. Just order online for fast, convenient delivery.
New York Times Article
The candy, which first appeared as a nickel bar after World War II, became a favorite with the economy-minded. Unlike some of its competitors, which melted in your mouth, Turkish Taffy eroded slowly, and it was so chewy that a single bar could last through most of a double feature at the movies.
Mr. Bonomo (pronounced BAHN-uh-moh) was born into the candy business and actually had Turkish roots. His father, Albert J., was a Sephardic Jew who had emigrated from Turkey. In 1897, the year before Victor Bonomo was born, his father started making candy in Coney Island to supply concessions at the amusement park. After World War I, Victor joined his father in running the candy factory on Eighth Street in Coney Island, where saltwater taffy and hard candies were produced.
As World War II ended, sugar rationing gave way and the entire country was eager to indulge its sweet tooth. Bonomo's joined the race to satisfy the surging demand, promoting three candy bars, ''Thanks,'' ''Hats Off'' and ''Call Again,'' which Tico Bonomo, Victor's son, described as ''poor man's Milky Ways.''
Then the candy cooks at the Coney Island factory came up with a batter of corn syrup and egg whites that was cooked and then baked.
''It was not really a taffy but what is technically known as a short nougat,'' explained Tico Bonomo. Nor was it Turkish. ''It was not a family recipe and the name we chose, 'Turkish Taffy,' just reflected clever marketing,'' he said.
It cooled into sheets the size of school desks, which were distributed through Woolworth stores around the country. Clerks at the candy counters used ball-peen hammers to whack the sheets, breaking off shards that were sold by the pound.
Apparently this method of distribution merely whetted appetites for the candy, then available only in vanilla. Mr. Bonomo had the slabs cut into panels the size of 1945 nickel Hershey bars, which were larger than 1999 65-cent Hershey bars. The bars were packaged in wrappers that showed smiling men in fezzes pouring batter into a huge vat. Of course, in Turkey, the fez had been outlawed by Kemal Ataturk in the 1920's, but back in the 50's the design drew no complaints.
The candy grew popular, eventually being distributed far beyond the metropolitan region into much of the rest of the country. Before the widespread use of air-conditioning, Turkish Taffy had some problems penetrating Southern markets, where warm temperatures turned the bars from hard to gooey. The problem was eventually overcome with new wrappers.
In the 1950's, Bonomo's Turkish Taffy advertised on children's television programs, among them ''The Magic Clown'' and ''Wonderama.'' The ads featured puppets named Bo, No and Mo. It also sponsored joint promotions with the Duncan yo-yo company.
In time, three new flavors appeared: chocolate, strawberry and banana. According to Tico Bonomo, the company sold 80 million to 100 million bars a year in the 50's and 60's and employed as many as 350 workers at the Coney Island plant, where it also produced hard candy.
Victor Bonomo retired in 1970 and moved to Florida with his wife, Zephra, who survives, as do Tico Bonomo and nine grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Bonomo's Turkish Taffy changed hands a few times, in 1980 becoming part of Tootsie Roll Industries of Chicago, which stopped making the candy in 1989. Ellen Gordon, president of Tootsie Roll Industries, said that the company phased out the product when demand declined as tastes changed.
Probably so, but at least some of the taffy-deprived have turned to the World Wide Web to seek solace from each other, writing of Turkish Taffy with yearnings as evocative as those of Proust for madeleines. Consider this posting on a site called WebFoodPros.com from John R.:
''I have been looking for this taffy for a long time; no other taffy compares. If only I could refrigerate a bar and smack it against the table. Come on, Tootsie Roll, make it again.''
New York Times July 4, 1999 by Michael T. Kaufman
