Bonfire Toffee - History

History

The use of molasses (or treacle) in the United Kingdom began in the 1660s, when it was first used to make gingerbread. Bonfire toffee emerged soon thereafter. But treacle was considered medicinal at the time and therefore very expensive, limiting the spread of toffee as a dessert or snack food. The term "toffee" did not appear in print until 1825 although foods were often being cooked several decades before their names or recipes for them appeared in print. Toffee developed in northern England some decades earlier (perhaps by the mid-18th century), and had displaced formerly popular sweets such as candied fruit, fruit preserves, marmalade, and similar items. Toffee was widely popular by 1800. At this time, toffee took many forms, including a soft version much like taffy, and was often called "toughy" or "tuffy." It was also known as "treacle sweetmeat," the suffix "-meat" having the meaning of any food. However, it is not entirely clear as to why it became associated with Guy Fawkes Night.

From about 1830 to 1900, bonfire toffee was quite popular in Yorkshire. In the 1890s, it was sometimes called "Tom Trot." Bonfire toffee was usually a homemade confectionery. Although industrial manufacturing of confectionery had begun in the 1840s, the price of black treacle in the 1890s and first decade of the 20th century often rose above the price of sugar which made store-bought toffee too expensive for many. Even in the 1960s, it was common from older people in a neighbourhood to make bonfire toffee to hand out to children on Guy Fawkes Night.

By the mid-1950s, bonfire toffee was often made in large sheets and pieces broken off with a toffee hammer. This practice was discouraged by some due to concerns about food safety. Treacle toffee was once common in sweet shops, but in the late 20th century was usually only available in supermarkets in October and November. However, it is still available year-round in speciality sweet shops, where it is usually broken by hand and wrapped in paper. It may be purchased as a sort of lollipop, on a stick with the foil dish it was made in still attached, or in sheets for breaking up and consuming at home.

Bonfire toffee is primarily consumed in the northern part of the United Kingdom, where sweets darker in colour are preferred.

Although bonfire toffee is usually considered a Halloween or Guy Fawkes Night treat, it has a Christmas association as well. In Wales, an old tradition exists of plygain, a Christian worship service held between 3:00– 6:00 a.m. in which Christmas carols are sung (and sometimes, but not always, accompanied by holy communion). After plygain was over, people would stay awake to decorate the house, play cards, eat cake or pikelets (a variation of the crumpet), or make bonfire toffee.