The History of Jelly Beans
Jelly beans are a popular candy; the beans come in a variety of flavors. Jelly beans are sold throughout the year, but two of the most popular times for jelly bean sales include Easter and Halloween. Jelly beans come in traditional flavors such as licorice and cherry, as well as newer flavors such as buttered popcorn and cotton candy. Does this Spark an idea?
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Manufacturing Process
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The jelly bean is created using a process called panning. This is the same process that is used to make Jordan Almonds. Panning involves placing a soft sugar based center in a tumbler and giving it several layers of sugar coating using sugar, syrup and food coloring. The sugar coating hardens slowly, giving jelly beans their hard outer shell and soft center.
Origin
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While it is not clear exactly when the jelly bean was first created, it is believed it occurred during the Civil War. A gentleman named William Schraft manufactured them and encouraged the Union soldiers to use them as snacks during the war.
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Popularity
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The jelly bean's popularity started to increase significantly in the early 1900's. At this time, the jelly bean become known as a bulk candy. This is because, instead of being sold by the number of jelly beans in a container, jelly beans were sold to customers based on the weight of the jelly beans. Jelly beans were one of the first bulk candies.
Easter and Jelly Beans
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Jelly beans are commonly associated with the holiday of Easter. This association of the candy and the holiday became popular in the 1930's. This is because of the egg shape of the jelly bean. The shape is believed to represent fertility and birth. The Easter Bunny's delivery of candy is symbolic of both spiritual rebirth based on religious beliefs and the upcoming season of spring.
Jelly Bean Facts
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The largest jar ever of jelly beans weighed 6,050 pounds and was created in the fall of 1999. National Jelly Bean Day is held shortly after the Easter holiday season each year on April 22. For Easter alone, in the United States, there are 16 billion jelly beans manufactured. This could fill a nine story office building that was 60 feet wide.
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