Jelly beans are a type of candy with a soft, chewy center and a thin, hard shell. They come in many different colors and flavors. The early history of jelly beans is not very clear, but some possible sources of inspiration are:
- Turkish delight, a sweet, chewy candy that has a powdery, sugar coating. Turkish delight dates back hundreds of years and was popular in the Middle East and Europe1.
- Jordan almonds, almonds that are coated in a crunchy sugar shell. Jordan almonds originated in ancient Rome and were later introduced to France and England2.
- The panning process, a technique of creating a thin candy coating by tossing the centers in a rotating pan with sugar and syrup. The panning process was invented in the 17th century and was used to make dragées, candied nuts, and seeds3.
The first known reference to jelly beans was in the late 1800s, when William Schrafft, a Boston confectioner, encouraged Americans to send jelly beans to soldiers fighting in the Civil War13. By the early 1900s, jelly beans were a common penny candy enjoyed by children and adults alike1. It wasn’t until the 1930s that jelly beans became associated with Easter, most likely due to their egg-like shape13. Jelly beans had a boost in popularity in the mid-'60s when then Governor of California, Ronald Reagan, expressed his love for the candy3. He even had a special blueberry flavor jelly bean created for him by Jelly Belly, a major jelly bean producer3.
Jelly beans are still one of the most popular candies today, especially during Easter. They are made with sugar, corn syrup, starch, and flavoring ingredients. Some of the most common flavors are cherry, lemon, grape, orange, and strawberry, but there are also many exotic and unusual flavors, such as buttered popcorn, licorice, cinnamon, and jalapeño342. Each year, enough jelly beans to circle the world five times are consumed3. That’s a lot of jelly beans! 🍬
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