With Easter steadily approaching, I think it is safe to assume that everyone is looking forward to the resurrection of our savior, and by savior I am of course referring to food - lots and lots of food. For those who observe Lent (I observe it… from far, far away), Easter marks the end of the fasting period and is celebrated by gorging ourselves with cream-filled eggs, chocolate bunnies, and of course, jellybeans.
The jellybean has a rich and exciting history. Well actually, jelly candies have been around for thousands of years and have remained relatively unchanged until a few hundred years ago when an American, whose name was not important enough for history to remember, put a shell on them and called them beans. It’s all actually quite boring, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have something to say about the jellybeans in the marketplace today, so sit down and take it!
Yesterday’s Jellybean
I’ve never much cared for the traditional jellybeans, which taste predominantly like sugar and only remotely like the flavors they are color-coded to impersonate. Beyond that, eating just a handful of them would leave me feeling as sick as if I had stuck a straw directly into the sugar jar and put the other end of that straw up my nose. Luckily, brave men and women have worked toward a better jellybean, but in so doing, have they flown too close to the sun? For the sake of making a mundane topic seem dramatic, I say yes.
Jelly Belly Beans: The Rise and Fall of Gourmet Jellybeans
In 1976, the idea of the first gourmet jellybean was born from a Los Angeles candy distributor who wanted to see jellybeans made with natural flavorings. He called up the Herman Goelitz Candy Co. who had a reputation for making the best candies, and later that year the first eight Jelly Belly flavors were born: Very Cherry, Lemon, Cream Soda, Tangerine, Green Apple, Root Beer, Grape, and Licorice. Compared to the waxy faux-flavored beans of the past, these must have been a like crack to the candy-mongering hordes of 30 years ago. Even Ronald Reagan became addicted. (The president’s love of Jelly Bellies gave rise to the blueberry flavor, which allowed him to serve his favorite jellybeans in patriotic colors at inaugural parties.) I myself love the idea of natural flavored jellybeans, but cream soda and root beer? These are not the sorts of flavors I want when I reach for a handful of fruity candy. Sadly, as years passed, it only got worse.
Article comments
1 - Chocoholic
Great article. Very entertaining. I myself have tasted a "vomit" flavored jelly bean when my child tricked me that it was a sweet flavor. It was bad! But, I also have tried the starbust jelly beans and would definately agree that they are great! Thanks.
2 - Bliffle
I prefer Good 'n Plentys.
3 - Nicholas Bowman
Blasphemy Bliffle! Blasphemy!
4 - SonnyD
I like all Jelly Belly flavors. Would like to say more but cat is sleeping on my left hand. Makes typing difficult.
5 - Nicholas Bowman
SonnyD: Perhaps your cat is a Starburst sympathizer. We would gladly accept him/her among our ranks. Seriously though, do you ever crave the crude immitation of popcorn flavor with the texture of chewy candy? Even if I would allow you to argue that the popcorn flavor was spot-on?
6 - gino
just wanted to say, nice article, but you don't have to brave a scary world of jelly bellys... most larger supermarkets now have jelly belly stations that have roughly 40-50 flavors/combinations so you can pick and choose exactly what you want, thereby avoiding the dreaded combination of buttered popcorn, kiwi, and jalapeno...
7 - Brian
I reviewed the Bertie's Botts and they are indeed nasty!
Brian
8 - @lex
gday im 15 from Oz doin a project on jellybeans, are starburst jellybeans regarded as being gourmet or traditional?
cheers,
alex
9 - Nicholas Bowman
Well @lex, as far as I can tell you, Jelly Belly brand are the only jellybeans that market themselves as gourmet but I believe it is just that: marketing. It really doesn't prove better quality. Maybe you could consider jellybeans made with real natural flavors to be gourmet. In Starburst's case they use both natural and artificial flavorings. Hope this helps.