History of the Jelly Bean

Ah, the humble jelly bean. Soft and gummy on the inside, deliciously candy coated on the outside. No one quite knows the answer to the question "who made the first jelly bean?" but it is commonly believed to be a direct descendant of a centuries old sweet called Turkish Delight.

Young Americans may have only just learned of Turkish Delight while watching the 2005 film adaptation of C.S. Lewis' novel "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe," but this candy has been enjoyed by children and adults alike for millennia. Turkish Delight is said to have originated in Istanbul, Turkey. While there are many recipes available for making it, all result in a soft, chewy candy similar to the inside of a jelly bean.

As for the hard candy coating, the National Confectioners Association tells us that it is made through a process called panning. Developed in 17th century France it was used back then to apply candy coatings to fruits and nuts. For example, Jordan Almonds were made by placing almonds in a bowl filled with sugar and syrup and rocking them by hand until they were thoroughly coated. Today the panning process is automated with machines agitating large quantities of candies while ingredients are precisely applied.

Historically jelly beans have been recognized for their portability and long shelf life. According to the website CandyFavorites.com in the late 1800's an advertisement by the William Schraft Company suggested jelly beans be sent to soldiers fighting in the Civil War for those very reasons.

Later, jelly beans grew to be a popular as penny candy. In the early 1900's the little sweets were bagged and sold based on weight. Moreover, the festive colors as well as the general egg shape of the jelly bean has made it an Easter tradition ever since the 1930's. Each year tens of billions of jelly beans are sold, with demand reaching it's peak around this holiday.

In 1976 the Jelly Belly gourmet jelly bean was created. On their website JellyBelly.com the company states that the idea was to make a jelly bean with natural flavorings. The first eight flavors of Jelly Belly (Very Cherry, Lemon, Cream Soda, Tangerine, Green Apple, Root Beer, Grape and Licorice) remain some of the most popular flavors sold to this day.

In the 1980's the Jelly Belly flavor of blueberry was inspired by the desire to have red white and blue jelly beans served at the inaugural parties of President Ronald Reagan, an ardent Jelly Belly fan. Then in 1983 the President saw to it that Jelly Bellies were sent into space as a surprise treat for the astronauts.

Throughout their history jelly beans have been well regarded as a sweet, portable, high energy snack. They are certified as kosher and are vegetarian friendly. More recently jelly beans have even been recommended as a low calorie snack with about four or five calories per bean an no fat. Add to all these benefits the kid-friendly colors and jelly beans become a near perfect candy. Sweet and chewy. Small and portable. Fun and colorful. Who doesn't love the jelly bean?