[1] Jelly beans are mostly sugar. No wonder they are so popular! (photo by River Soma | © THE NIBBLE).

[2] Today, jelly beans are associated with kids’ Easter candy. But they’re fun year-round; and were President Ronald Regan’s favorite candy (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[3] Jelly beans became associated with Easter because of their egg-like shape (photo © Jelly Belly).

Today is National Jelly Bean Day. It’s also the 35th anniversary of the best-known brand of jelly beans, Jelly Belly, which petitioned for the holiday.

So let’s check out the history of jelly beans!
 
 
THE BEGINNINGS OF JELLY BEAN HISTORY

Many sugared confections are the ancestors of jelly beans.

Turkish Delight, which is jelled sugar and rosewater coated with powdered sugar, is one well-known candy that, accordg to Candy Warehouse, is mentioned in the Bible (see the photo for the resemblance to jelly beans).

Centuries later, an unknown confectioner switched the powdered sugar for granulated sugar, added some flavors, and created the gumdrop.

Then, in the 17th century, a French confectioner invented a process called panning, which created a hard sugar coating by stirring candies in a mixture of sugar and syrup.

Nuts were panned (such as Jordan almonds); later, chocolate was used to create chocolate-covered nuts and other candies.

Take a gooey mixture called a sugar slurry, add a coating and you get a jelly bean.

 
 
MODERN JELLY BEAN HISTORY

The modern jelly bean is believed to have been invented in the U.S., sometime after 1850.

The earliest recorded advertisement for jelly beans is from Boston confectioner William Schrafft, who may have also been the creator.* The ad promoted sending jelly beans to Union Soldiers engaged in the Civil War (1861-1865).

By the early 1900s, jelly beans had become a staple penny candy. Possibly, they were the first bulk candy.

Jelly beans became part of the Easter tradition in the 1930s, when somebody connected their egg shape with the eggs symbolic of the spiritual rebirth of Easter. Their festive colors made them a perfect celebratory candy.

During World War II, much of the chocolate produced in the U.S. was sent overseas to soldiers. Americans focused on other sweets; flavorful, colorful jelly beans became popular.

And, if you’re old enough to remember, they were the favorite candy of president Ronald Regan.

He persuaded the Jelly Belly company to make a blueberry jelly bean so that he could serve red, white and blue jelly beans in the Oval Office.

JELLY BEAN TRIVIA†

Here’s some jelly bean trivia:

 
Happy National Jelly Bean Day!

____________________

*Schraft’s candy company was established in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1861, by William F. Schrafft. Succeeding him in 1898, Frank Shattuck expanded the company to include restaurants, most located in Manhattan. The ice candy and cream sundaes were very popular when Pet, Inc., makers of Pet evaporated milk, purchased Schrafft’s in 1967. They broke the ice cream, restaurant, and candy operations into separate companies. Alas, it is no longer in businesses.

†From CandyWarehouse.com.

True, but Mother’s Day falls a scant two weeks after Easter. You need a gift strategy.

As far as gourmet chocolate goes, Anna Shea creates chocolate “haute couture”: beautiful, artisan-crafted and hand-decorated chocolate designs.

This may be the best-looking box of chocolates we’ve ever seen. And beyond impeccable appearances, each piece is delectable.

Each jewel-like chocolate is handmade and then hand-painted (that’s edible paint, of course) with a design that evokes the flavor of the delicious ganache inside.

If Mom loves a box of fine chocolate, she’ll be delighted to receive a box of Anna Shea chocolates—whether for Mother’s Day, as a thank-you for Easter dinner or for no occasion in particular.

TheNibbleGourmetMarket.com, created in response to the many requests we get from readers for gift recommendations, has just launched. It includes our favorite gift items—something for everyone, from $15.00 and up.

It makes a charming centerpiece, not just for Easter but year-round.

If you can’t get to a Williams-Sonoma store, head to your nearest crafts store and buy the materials to make your own basket arrangment.

Then head to the candy store to fill the basket. It doesn’t need to be with blue robins’ eggs. There are plenty of delicious Easter egg candies that can fill the basket—until people catch sight of them. So make sure to buy refills!

Our two-pound loaf disappeared in a week.
Photo courtesy Tillamook Cheese.

Here’s a wonderful everyday cheese to head up the celebration: Tillamook’s Monterey Jack cheese, voted America’s Best Monterey Jack Cheese at the 2011 United States Champion Cheese Contest. (The company’s Colby Jack–a blend of two cheeses–was also a winner, taking Best In Class honors.)

This Monterey Jack’s fresh, buttery flavor and creamy texture are spot-on. Its meltability gives it the versatility to work with just about anything – it’s a Jack of all trades in the kitchen. Here are 25 suggestions from Tillamook and THE NIBBLE:

Ideas With Shredded Monterey Jack

1. Wrapped with potatoes and eggs in a breakfast burrito.
2. Mashed into potatoes with butter.
3. Melted in an omelet with vegetables.
4. Stuffed into grilled peppers.
5. Paired with sausage and mushrooms in a breakfast strata.

6. Mixed into salads—try grilled chicken, green chile, avocado, tomato and romaine, with a side of tortilla chips.
7. Mixed into mac and cheese, by itself or in combination, like in this three-cheese recipe.
8. Made into cheese soup.
9. Sprinkled atop tortilla soup, or used as a garnish for other soups (try corn chowder with shredded Monterey Jack and crumbled bacon).
10. Baked atop enchiladas; in fajitas, tacos and other Tex-Mex favorites.
11. Rolled into meatballs.
12. Grated onto garlic fries.
13. Sprinkled onto roasted vegetables.
14. Melted into cheese fondue.
15. In a baked potato.
16. On a pizza (try a Buffalo Chicken pizza, blended with crumbled blue cheese—here’s the recipe).
17. In a manicotti recipe with salsa (try this chipotle manicotti).
Ideas With Sliced Monterey Jack
18. Layered on a ham or turkey sandwich, or any favorite sandwich.
19. Grilled between sliced bread for a superior grilled cheese sandwich.
20. Fried on an egg sandwich.
21. Broiled on bread with a slice of roast beef.
22. As a snack right out of the package.
23. As a general garnish.
24. On a cheese board.
25. With a glass of white wine.

Don’t think that a two-pound loaf is too much. Between recipes and snacking, it might last a week. Other sizes are available, including 8-ounce chunks, 12-ounce slices, and 1- and 2.5-pound loaves.

Along with the pears, we also had on hand jars of the new flavors of The King’s Cupboard dessert sauces: Bourbon Caramel, Chocolate Crème De Menthe and Chocolate Irish Cream. Voilà!

POACHED PEARS RECIPE

Ingredients

Preparation
1. Combine first five ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and add pears to the poaching liquid.
3. Simmer pears for 30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
4. Remove pears and chill standing upright for several hours or overnight (we keep them in the poaching liquid to infuse more wine flavor).
5. To assemble, place pears on individual serving plates. Warm chocolate sauce in microwave (start with 20 seconds). Spoon sauce over pears. Garnish with mint leaf or berries.

Alternate Sauce
Instead of using chocolate sauce, you can reduce the poaching liquid to one cup, and spoon over the pears. Garnish with crème fraiche, crumbled blue cheese or blue cheese ice cream.

Alternate Recipe
A related dish, Poires Belle-Hélène (in English, Pears Belle-Hélène), combines a poached pear and chocolate sauce with ice cream and slivered almonds.