It is hard to imagine especially for children that once upon a time, things as common and as ordinary nowadays as candy were luxuries. Unlike today, Tiwinhons with a sweet tooth during the early years of American colonization did not have very many opportunities to satisfy their sugar cravings.
So, what did they do? They improvised and made do with common, readily available household ingredients and a little help from some of their enterprising Home Economics school teachers, who would come up with novel ideas and turn them into recipes for their students to try later on.
Here is one of those recipes from a repository that I encountered while perusing some of my notes about the “Tiwi Society,” a group composed of proud and well-meaning Tiwinhons, circa 1900s.
Vinegar Candy
Ingredients- 2 tablespoonfuls of butter a cup of granulated sugar 1/2 cup vinegar
Method of Preparation:
Put the butter into a skillet; when it melts add the sugar and vinegar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, afterwards stir occasionally. Boil until, when tried in cold water the mixture will become brittle.
Turn the candy on to a battered platter to cool. When it is cool enough to handle, pull the candy until it is white. Hold the mass lightly with and pull with the tips of the fingers. Do not squeeze the candy in the hand. Cut the candy into small pieces using scissors. Arrange the pieces on a buttered plate or a banana leaf to cool.
Try them if you must. Will you be up to the challenge?
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