Jelly Beans – Peasant or King?

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Jelly Beans have an air of mystery around their origin – but the first reference that we have to their manufacture is when William Schraft, a Boston Confectioner, encouraged Americans to send these little sugar nuggets to soldiers in the civil war.

The first jelly beans were most likely a combination of the turkish delight for the innards with a jordan almond coating for the shell. Now they’re made much the same way as any other common candy: sugar, corn-syrup and starch plus flavour.

Ronald Reagan liked jelly beans so much that Jelly Belly was given an official ok to develop a “Presidental Seal Candy Jar” just for him to give away red, white, and blue treats to visiting heads of state.

So are these sugary treats the king or peasant of candies? Boosted by the populance and then embraced by the president, it seems jelly beans have been helping people stay sugar high for more than 150 years. Long live the jelly bean.

Do you like jelly beans? What’s your fav flavour?