When one thinks of jelly beans it is usually in connection with Easter
Jelly beans are an integral part of our Easter and springtime tradition. Everyone loves these colorful sweet candies, but how did they become part of the Easter tradition?
The National Confectioner's Association states that the jelly bean first arose many years ago, as far back as Biblical times. The jelly bean that we know today resembles a candy that originated in Istanbul, Turkey referred to as the Turkish Delight. Like the jelly bean, the Turkish Delight is a sweet-tasting candy with a hard outer shell and a soft chewy inside.
European Jelly beans In Europe, there have also been candies similar to the jelly bean. For instance, in the 17th century French candy makers developed a confection consisting of a hard outer shell, now known as Jordan Almonds. Following the technique used to make these candies, called panning, jelly candies were made with a colorful outer layer.
Jelly beans in America Jelly beans were first introduced to the United States in the 1800's, as recorded in an advertisement by William Schraft to Union Soldiers in the Civil War. By the 1900's, jelly beans could be found in many candy shops, and in fact they were one of the first bulk candies sold by weight.
Jelly beans and Easter In the 1930's jelly beans become part of the Easter tradition. This is much later than the chocolate Easter bunny, which was linked to the holiday much sooner than jelly beans. Jelly beans are believed to have been added to the Easter tradition because the bean has a similar shape as an egg, symbolizing birth. The jelly beans also can represent eggs from an Easter bunny which is another Easter tradition.
Different kinds of jelly beans Jelly beans can be found in many colors and flavors. The original colors were orange, red, yellow, green, and black, but now you can find many varieties. The Jelly Belly company, formerly the Goelitz Candy Company, is a candy company that has created an endless array of flavors and colors of jelly beans, ranging from root beer to bubblegum to cotton candy. They have gourmet and traditional flavors, comprising of thousands of different options. With these flavors, you can go so far as combining several jelly beans to create a more complex flavor, for example a peanut butter-flavored jelly bean and a jelly-flavored jelly bean, to make peanut butter and jelly. Or, a chocolate-flavored jelly bean with an espresso-flavored jelly bean and cream-flavored jelly bean to make a mocha latte. The combinations are endless.
