Jelly bean

For other uses, see Jelly bean (disambiguation).
Jelly bean
Jelly bean flavor and color assortment
TypeConfectionery
Place of originBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Created byWilliam Schrafft

Jelly beans are small bean-shaped sugar candies with soft candy shells and thick gel interiors (see gelatin and jelly). The confection is primarily made of sugar and sold in a wide variety of colors. According to one common story, they existed as early as 1861, when Boston confectioner William Schrafft urged people to buy them as gifts for soldiers in the American Civil War.[1] A more definite reference appears in food testing records of the United States Department of Agriculture published in 1887.[2] Most historians contend that jelly beans were first associated with celebrations of Easter in the United States sometime during the 1930s due to their egg-like shape.[3]

  1. ^ "A Bowl Full of Jelly Bean History". National Geographic. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021.
  2. ^ U.S. Department of Agriculture Division of Chemistry (1887). Foods and Food Adulterants (Report). p. 721. Bulletin No. 13.
  3. ^ "Jelly Beans: A Colorful History and Association with Easter". AT&T. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2011-05-10.