candy stew
An old-time get-together where folks boil molasses or sugar and pull candy.
Also called candy pull, molasses stew.
Updated September 21, 2026
candy stew pronunciation
/KAN-dee STOO/
Meaning
Not a bowl of dessert stew. A candy stew is a party built around making candy: boil the molasses or sorghum, butter your hands, pull it till it turns light and stretchy, then cut sticks or twist ropes. In rural Virginia, Kentucky, and nearby mountain country, these nights mixed supper, games, and sticky flirting while the candy cooled on chairs and tables. Same idea as a candy pull or molasses stew.
How folks use it
- “They're having a candy stew over at the church Friday night.”
- “We sat up late after the candy stew with sticky fingers and a whole plate of pulled sticks.”
Origin and etymology
American social slang from the 1800s. "Stew" points at the boiling pot of molasses or sugar, not a meat dish. Southern diaries and stories name candy stews as kitchen parties; later folks mostly said candy pull instead. Dialect surveys still list candy stew as an old Upper South and Appalachian term for that gathering.
Frequently asked questions
Is candy stew a recipe?
No. It's the event. You stew the candy syrup, pull it by hand, and turn the mess into a social night.