In honor of this most auspicious occasion, here's some trivia for you, in jelly bean colors:
The exact origin of jelly beans is unknown, but it is believed to be a derivative of a candy that dates back to Biblical times: Turkish Delight.
Any Chronicles of Narnia fans out there? Turkish Delight is the candy that lands Edmund in a whole lot of trouble in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I always wondered what Turkish Delight was, and now I do: it's a candy with a soft, chewy center and a firm outer shell. So, now you know, too. Who would have thought candy could be fun and literary and historical all at the same time??
That little tidbit above begs the question: If jelly beans can trace their lineage back to Biblical times, does that make them Holy Food? Hmmm... yes, well, moving on...
In the early 1900's, jelly beans were one of the first confectionary items to be sold by weight, and were one of the original penny candies.
Peak season for jelly beans is Easter, a tradition begun sometime in the 1930's, presumably due to their egg-like shape.
It takes approximately 6 - 10 days to make jelly beans.
Since 1976, there have been two types of jelly beans: gourmet and traditional. What's the diff, you say? I always wondered that myself, so here, for your edification and mine, is the distinction:
Traditional jelly beans have flavor in the shell only.
Gourmet jelly beans have flavor in the shell and the
center.
On October 15, 1999, the world's largest jar of jelly beans was shown publicly. It weighed 6,050 pounds!
Jelly Belly brand jelly beans were the favorite candy of President Ronald Regan. In fact, he was the inspiration for the Blueberry flavor Jelly Belly bean, which enabled him to serve red, white, and blue jelly beans at his inaugural parties. Also, you may have heard about his portrait - done entirely in jelly beans?
Jelly Belly beans were the first in outer space, sharing the same historic flight with the first American female astronaut, Sally Ride.
Anywhere from 14 to 16 billion jelly beans are manufactured in the United States each year.
Need more jelly bean info? Do a Google search of "jelly bean history." Make sure you have lots of time to browse - there are about 486,000 results for you to sift through...
But, if you don't have all that much time, here are the sites I visited to find the facts listed here:
Have a happy National Jelly Bean Day!
