History

The gummy interior of the jelly bean may trace its origins back hundreds of years to a candy called Turkish Delight, while the outside shell is essentially the same as that developed in the late 17th century for Jordan Almond candiesFact: date=January 2009. The earliest known appearance of the modern jelly bean was during the American Civil War when William Schrafft of Boston promoted sending the candy to soldiers in the Union Army. It was not until 1930 or so that jelly beans became an Easter candy, presumably from their resemblance to Easter eggs. Their egg-like shape was then associated with the Easter Bunny, who gave out eggs on Easter.

In the 1960's when the rock and pop band The Beatles were on tour, fans would often toss jelly beans on stage and send them as gifts to the group.

In appearances in popular fiction and entertainment, they have been referred to as "sweetrocks" in the film Ant Bully; have been used as currency in Disney's Toontown Online; and are in the title of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "The Jelly Bean". In Harry Potter, the students at Hogwarts eat "Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans", which come in a variety of flavors that range from revolting to delicious.

Ingredients

The basic ingredients of jelly beans include sugars, gelatin, corn syrup, and food starch. Relatively minor amounts of lecithin (an emulsifier), anti-foaming agents, beeswax or carnauba wax, salt, and confectioner's glaze are also added to the mix. The ingredients that give each bean its character are also relatively small in proportion and may vary depending on the flavor. These include natural and artificial flavors and colors, and, depending on the bean flavor, may include chocolate, coconut, fruit puree or juice, peanuts, vanilla, oils, cream, or freeze-dried egg, milk, or fruit powders. These flavorings each are 2% or less of all the ingredients.

Flavors

Most jelly beans are sold as an assortment of about eight more or less standard fruit flavors. Assortments of "spiced" jellybeans and gumdrops are also available, which include a similar number of spice and mint flavors. The colors of jelly beans are also more or less standardized, and a fairly typical scheme is shown in the table to the right.

Some premium brands, such as Jelly Belly, are available in dozens of different flavors, including berry, tropical fruit, soft drink, popcorn, and novelty ranges in addition to the familiar fruit and spice flavors. While these are also sold as assortments, individual flavors can be individually purchased from distributors. The mixing of several flavors together in the mouth can form a whole new flavor entirely, such as combining several fruity flavors for a fruit salad, or banana and toffee to create Banoffee Pie. Jelly Belly stores provide "menus" of such combinations.