# Are Bit o honey and Tootsie Roll's supposed to be hard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bit-o-honey-and-tootsie-rolls-supposed-to-be-hard/666587 "2013-08-18T20:12:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bit-o-honey-and-tootsie-rolls-supposed-to-be-hard/666587/1 "2013-08-18T20:12:16Z")
I’ve had an on going debate with a friend that if you are lucky enough to find **fresh** Tootsie Rolls they aren’t hard. They are more like a chewy fudge candy. But 90% of the time the stores have stale ones and they are rock hard. Same thing with [Bit o honey](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Bit-O-Honey-Bar.jpg). Aren’t they soft and chewy fresh? But the stores sell them stale and they are hard bricks. I swear that I can remember buying these candies when they were fresh and reasonably soft. But maybe my memory is off? Are they supposed to be tooth chipping bricks? I wouldn’t risk either candy now. I got too much dental work to protect. They will soften after a few seconds in the microwave. But they are still very sticky and can yank out fillings. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bit-o-honey-and-tootsie-rolls-supposed-to-be-hard/666587/2 "2013-08-18T20:24:40Z")
If I recall from my childhood, both candies were soft but extremely chewy. Even then, however, the level of softness was extremely variable and always capable of ripping your fillings out. Turkish Taffey, however, was supposed to be [hard enough to break](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgx5LrKIYgs). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bit-o-honey-and-tootsie-rolls-supposed-to-be-hard/666587/3 "2013-08-18T20:35:47Z")
You could break Turkish Taffy if you hit them hard against something, but a fresh one was soft. It was like Silly Putty that you could stretch or break. Both Tootsie Roll and Bit O Honey were soft when fresh, but got hard as they sat on the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bit-o-honey-and-tootsie-rolls-supposed-to-be-hard/666587/4 "2013-08-18T20:44:55Z")
You just reminded me of French Chews. Incredibly soft and the ultimate in delicious to the 9-year-old me. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bit-o-honey-and-tootsie-rolls-supposed-to-be-hard/666587/5 "2013-08-19T06:00:50Z")
They aren’t rock hard. They are a little tough, and they pretty much always have been unless you get them warm. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bit-o-honey-and-tootsie-rolls-supposed-to-be-hard/666587/6 "2013-08-19T06:10:26Z")
Are Bit-O-Honey supposed to take a long time to chew, though? I remember a TV commercial wherein a guy was watching Civil War reenactors. He popped in a Bit-O-Honey right when the first gun went off, and when the battle ended (Gettysburg? That was three days) he was still working on the Bit-O-Honey. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bit-o-honey-and-tootsie-rolls-supposed-to-be-hard/666587/7 "2013-08-19T07:57:18Z")
Bit-o-Honey is always rock hard until you start chewing it, IME. Tootsie Rolls are never that hard, but they do have some bite to them. And that’s how they should be. I love gnawing on some Bit-o-Honey! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bit-o-honey-and-tootsie-rolls-supposed-to-be-hard/666587/8 "2013-08-19T10:04:47Z")
Did you perhaps keep your Tootsie Rolls in your pockets when you were a kid? That’s heat enough to soften them. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bit-o-honey-and-tootsie-rolls-supposed-to-be-hard/666587/9 "2013-08-19T15:40:50Z")
mouth hazards. Tootsie Rolls became jaw breakers. Bit-o-Honey would shatter into knife sharp gum cutting shards. when fresh and new both were softer.