a popular confection in Britain, especially in the autumn, when they used to be prominent, with their vivid red colour, at autumn fairs. A whole fresh apple, on a thin stick, is dipped in high-boiled sugar syrup which has been coloured red; and allowed to set before being wrapped in cellophane.
The OED gives no quotations relating to toffee apples earlier than the beginning of the 20th century. However, the use of the term as soldier's slang for a type of bomb used in the First World War suggests that they were already well known, and probably have a longer history than the quotations allow.
In the phrase ‘toffee apple’ the word ‘toffee’ means simple boiled sugar, not the mixture of sugar and dairy produce which is what the word usually refers to. This may be another indication of an older origin of the toffee apple. See also toffee.
There is some similarity between toffee apples and the Chinese dessert items which consist of pieces of banana or apple fried in batter and then coated in caramelized syrup. Whether there is any historical connection is not clear.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
