This Is What Laffy Taffy Is Actually Made Of

You might remember Laffy Taffy from your younger days or maybe you still like to indulge in the sweet and sometimes sour chewy candy today. Either way, it's something of a classic. From the stylized packaging to the cheesy jokes written on the inside of the pastel-colored wrappers, it's hard not to love the tacky candy. But you might have wondered over the years just what it's made of exactly. 

It might be hard to believe, but Laffy Taffy was actually called caramel in its early days. The candy was first invented in the 1970s, by Beich's company which was founded in 1893 (via Snack History). While thinking of the fruit-flavored candy as a caramel might be odd, it was labeled as "Beich's Caramels" on the wrapper, kind of like fruit-flavored Tootsie Rolls are today. You probably already know caramel is made by melting and cooking sugar in a pot until it is golden brown. But to get the fruit-flavored candy that's stretchy and chewy, it has to be made with different ingredients. 

According to the Taffy Candy Center, the basic ingredients of Laffy Taffy are salt, artificial flavor, soy lecithin, malic acid, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, diglycerides, and monoglycerides. Other ingredients include the artificial coloring that depends on the flavor of Laffy Taffy you pick up. On the official Laffy Taffy website, you'll find that the Banana pieces have Yellow 5, the red fruit flavors like Strawberry or Cherry have Red 40, and blue-flavored pieces like Blue Raspberry have Blue 1. Certain versions also consist of sugar, corn syrup, and palm oil while other varieties, like the Stretchy and Tangy flavors, even contain egg 

Laffy Taffy comes in a wide range of flavors. Over the years, you might have encountered Blueberry, Sour Apple, Watermelon, and even Lemon Raspberry. But there are plenty of fruit flavors you might be less familiar with, too. Think along the lines of Guava, Orange Sorbet, Pineapple, Fruit Punch, and even Strawberries and Cream flavors. Finally, there are some really unusual flavors that are reminiscent of other classic sweets and desserts, including Pumpkin Donuts, Coconut, Chocolate Moose, and Hot Cocoa flavors. So keep your eyes peeled for these off-the-wall flavors the next time you want to pick up a bag.