About National Jelly Bean Day
Jelly beans are thought to have originated in the United States in the late 19th century. According to one popular story, a man named William Schrafft encouraged people to send his jelly beans to soldiers during the American Civil War. The jelly beans were made from a mixture of sugar and corn syrup and were flavored with a variety of fruit syrups.
Another story suggests that jelly beans were originally created by a candy maker named Johann George Lehmann in 1869 and he called it "Jelly Bean" and it was shaped like a bean.
Another theory is that jelly beans were first made by Boston confectioner, William Schrafft, who urged people to send his jelly beans to soldiers during the American Civil War. He offered a variety of flavors and colors to suit any palate.
It's not clear exactly when and where jelly beans were first made, but it's likely that they evolved from an earlier type of sweet, called "jelly bean" which was a small, oblong-shaped sweet made from jelly and coated in sugar, which in turn, was derived from Turkish Delight.
