Tootsie Roll

Without question, the Tootsie Roll is a New York original. A few details about its beginnings, however, are a bit fuzzy.

The Tootsie Roll was the creation of Leo Hirschfield. Or was it Hirshfield, without the “c”? The year was 1896. Or was it 1905? Or 1907? Or 1908? And was Brooklyn or Manhattan the birthplace of the Tootsie Roll? Details, details!

Many sources claim that Hirschfield introduced his chewy, chocolatey creation in his Brooklyn candy shop in 1896. Other accounts maintain that Hirschfield was already working for a Manhattan confectionary, Stern & Staalberg, in the early 1900s when the Tootsie Roll was patented and first sold commercially.

Whichever story is true, one fact is indisputable. Hirschfield named the treat after his little girl, Clara, whose nickname was Tootsie. The candies were individually wrapped and sold for a penny a piece. The Tootsie Roll was the first individually wrapped penny candy.

At the time, candy shops often enticed customers by displaying their wares in large glass jars. That didn’t work well in the summer, when chocolates would melt into a gooey mess. The texture of the Tootsie Roll and the individual wrapping kept the candy pristine, and the treat became a year-round success.

Although the corporate owner of the Tootsie Roll has changed identities several times in its long life, the recipe has remained the same. Each day’s preparation includes leftovers of the previous batch. In other words, when you bite into a Tootsie Roll, you’re getting an infinitesimal bit of Leo Hirschfield’s original treat.