July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Celebrate Tootsie's birthday (02/23/2009)
As I See It
By By DIANA DOLECKI-
This column is about Tootsie Rolls, which first came on the market on this date a long time ago.
We all know what a Tootsie Rolls is - or do we? The ingredient list is: sugar, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, condensed milk, cocoa, whey, soy lecithin, orange extract, and artificial and condensed flavors.
All of this stuff is mixed together, formed into the proper shape and wrapped. As anyone who has ever had one can attest, they are nearly indestructible. I am convinced that the Tootsie Rolls thrown during parades are carefully swept up later and reused, year after year.
As a matter of fact, owing to their non-perishable qualities and resistance to harsh weather conditions, Tootsie Rolls have been an integral part of U.S. military rations since World War II. They don't melt as quickly as regular chocolate.
They are an essential part of Kitty Litter Cake. That recipe is made by crumbling cake with pulverized sandwich cookies then binding the mess together with pudding. The Tootsie Rolls are softened in the microwave and used to form, uh ... um ... decorations. It is supposed to be served in a new litter box. The complete recipe can be found on several internet sites.
An Austrian immigrant, Leo Hirshfield, concocted the first Tootsie Rolls in a small store in New York City in 1896. He named the candy after his five-year-old daughter, Clara, whose nickname was "Tootsie." He wrapped each piece individually to distinguish it from other candies that were sold by the scoop. I think this was the beginning of penny candy - which now costs at least a nickel if not more.
According to the Tootsie Roll website 49 million Tootsie Rolls are produced every day. Let's see, there are approximately 305,858,550 people in the United States so that's one a day for every six people; some of them are babies or elderly and can't handle the chewy globs so who is eating all these Tootsie Rolls? Oh, it says they are distributed in more than 75 countries, guess my figures are off a bit.
As for that eternal question, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" Three. That's how many it took the wise old owl on the commercials.
In actuality there are too many variables to give a definite answer. Estimates from children who have contacted the company range from 100 to 5,800 licks, with most estimating it at between 600-800. Personally I have never managed more than about 10.
A Tootsie Roll is more than a list of ingredients or a bunch of trivia. It is Americana. Everybody knows what a Tootsie Rolls is and what it tastes like. We all know that it is capable of removing fillings from our teeth. It is pliable enough to make a "sculpture" that can gross out a younger sibling. It is the candy lurking in the bottom of the Halloween bag.
Like most Americans it is tenacious. Once it finds something to stick to there is no getting rid of it until it is ready.
Yet it is pliable. It can be molded and formed into different shapes, like our opinions can be molded by the media. Who would have thought 100 years ago that it would be fashionable to look like a concentration camp escapee?
Who would have thought that America, land of opportunity, would become America, land of the disappearing savings and dwindling bank accounts?
Yet, like a Tootsie Roll, we are tough. We survive. If there is another Great Depression, and I don't think there will be, then we will be like the Tootsie Roll at the bottom of the bag; still here; still sweet; still reeking of childhood and, yes, still wondering - how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?[[In-content Ad]]
We all know what a Tootsie Rolls is - or do we? The ingredient list is: sugar, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, condensed milk, cocoa, whey, soy lecithin, orange extract, and artificial and condensed flavors.
All of this stuff is mixed together, formed into the proper shape and wrapped. As anyone who has ever had one can attest, they are nearly indestructible. I am convinced that the Tootsie Rolls thrown during parades are carefully swept up later and reused, year after year.
As a matter of fact, owing to their non-perishable qualities and resistance to harsh weather conditions, Tootsie Rolls have been an integral part of U.S. military rations since World War II. They don't melt as quickly as regular chocolate.
They are an essential part of Kitty Litter Cake. That recipe is made by crumbling cake with pulverized sandwich cookies then binding the mess together with pudding. The Tootsie Rolls are softened in the microwave and used to form, uh ... um ... decorations. It is supposed to be served in a new litter box. The complete recipe can be found on several internet sites.
An Austrian immigrant, Leo Hirshfield, concocted the first Tootsie Rolls in a small store in New York City in 1896. He named the candy after his five-year-old daughter, Clara, whose nickname was "Tootsie." He wrapped each piece individually to distinguish it from other candies that were sold by the scoop. I think this was the beginning of penny candy - which now costs at least a nickel if not more.
According to the Tootsie Roll website 49 million Tootsie Rolls are produced every day. Let's see, there are approximately 305,858,550 people in the United States so that's one a day for every six people; some of them are babies or elderly and can't handle the chewy globs so who is eating all these Tootsie Rolls? Oh, it says they are distributed in more than 75 countries, guess my figures are off a bit.
As for that eternal question, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" Three. That's how many it took the wise old owl on the commercials.
In actuality there are too many variables to give a definite answer. Estimates from children who have contacted the company range from 100 to 5,800 licks, with most estimating it at between 600-800. Personally I have never managed more than about 10.
A Tootsie Roll is more than a list of ingredients or a bunch of trivia. It is Americana. Everybody knows what a Tootsie Rolls is and what it tastes like. We all know that it is capable of removing fillings from our teeth. It is pliable enough to make a "sculpture" that can gross out a younger sibling. It is the candy lurking in the bottom of the Halloween bag.
Like most Americans it is tenacious. Once it finds something to stick to there is no getting rid of it until it is ready.
Yet it is pliable. It can be molded and formed into different shapes, like our opinions can be molded by the media. Who would have thought 100 years ago that it would be fashionable to look like a concentration camp escapee?
Who would have thought that America, land of opportunity, would become America, land of the disappearing savings and dwindling bank accounts?
Yet, like a Tootsie Roll, we are tough. We survive. If there is another Great Depression, and I don't think there will be, then we will be like the Tootsie Roll at the bottom of the bag; still here; still sweet; still reeking of childhood and, yes, still wondering - how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?[[In-content Ad]]
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