The history of jelly beans
by Tierney O'Hara
God made Adam; God made Eve; God made the jelly bean.
What?
Well not exactly, but some experts are convinced that the jelly bean dates back to Biblical times. A description of a sweet candy that resembles a jelly bean was mentioned in the Bible, experts say. Wow.
We know for sure that during the American Civil War, William Schrafft of Boston, Mass urged citizens to support the military by sending jelly beans to soldiers in the Union Army. By 1930, jelly beans had become iconic Easter candy, found in every child's Easter basket and in crystal candy dishes around the world.
Jelly beans are made by cooking corn syrup until it has reached the soft-ball stage. The soft-ball stage is 235 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit, and is tested by dropping the candy mixture into cold water to see if it will form a soft ball.
(When making fudge, you bring it to the soft ball stage before taking it off the heat. Same thing with jelly beans.)
Once the jelly bean mixture reaches the soft-ball stage, it is poured into molds shaped like a bean - then cooled. After the candy mixture is firm and set, a candy shell is added using a process called sugar panning.
Originally available in 8 flavors, the jelly bean's popularity grew and grew and so did the number of unique flavors: last count, Jelly Belly, world famous jelly bean manufacturer, was making over 50 different flavors of jelly bean. It sounds amazing and even more amazing when you think that each flavor is a distinctly different color.
Jelly Belly became super famous when it was disclosed that Jelly Belly brand jelly beans were Ronald Reagan's favorite candies. Large jars of Jelly Belly's were not only in the Oval Office, but also kept on Air Force One.
Blueberry flavor was created during Reagan's presidency so he could serve foreign diplomats red, white, and blue jelly beans - and Jelly Belly brand candy was the first jelly bean in outer space - included in snack packs sent on the space shuttle Challenger as a surprise gift to the astronauts from the president.
Jelly beans have had quite a history, from Biblical confections, to penny candy to gourmet pricey candy beans sold at only the best of stores. With out a doubt, the Ronald Reagan years were very good to jelly bean manufacturers and suppliers. But for those people who celebrate Easter, jelly beans have always been a beloved and necessary holiday candy: a familiar shape, color and taste that 's been around, well, since the beginning of time.