July 12th easily directs us on what to do on Eat Your Jello Day! With plenty of flavors to choose from, you should have no problem finding one you like.
- Pearle Wait, a carpenter in LeRoy, was developing a cough remedy and laxative tea in his home. He experimented with gelatine and came up with a fruit-flavored dessert that his wife, May, named JELL-O.
- The name “Jell-O” was the work of May Wait, and she apparently used both the words “jelly” and “gelatin” as inspiration for the “Jell” part of the name. She tacked the “O” on because it was trendy, and also an easy way to trademark a well-known word.
- Jell-o was Trademarked in 1897 by Pearle Wait of Leroy, New York
- Wait tried to market his product but he lacked the capital and the experience. In 1899 he sold the trademark to a fellow townsman for the sum of $450.
- Francis Woodward, who later purchased the recipe and trademark, eventually made Jell-O a household name.
- With 21 different flavors, Jell-O satisfies every taste and can be enjoyed in numerous combinations.
- There were 4 original flavors: Jello’s original flavors included: strawberry, raspberry, orange and lemon
- Discontinued JELL-O® flavors include Chocolate, Cola, Apple, Blackberry, Pineapple-Grapefruit, Strawberry Punch, Blackberry, and JELL-O® Gelatin for Salads (Celery, Italian, Mixed Vegetable and Seasoned Tomato).
- Jell-O was part of The Wizard of Oz. The splendor of seeing the massive Oz castle in Emerald City, the sparkly ruby-colored shoes and yes, the color-changing horse! Titled “Horse of a Different Color”, this scene depicts the color of the horse always changing.
- A paste made of Jello powder came to the rescue and gave the crew the exact coloring effect they were looking for. The only problem was that the horse actually kept licking it off, so they had to continuously do re-touches!
- Immigrants had their first taste. Jello originated in New York at a time when the city was a hub for newcomers flocking to the States in search of the American dream. Jell-O saw this as an opportunity to grow its brand and make its product known to a whole new demographic of people! This could be one of the reasons Jello is known as “America’s Favorite Dessert”! The immigrants who were coming through Ellis Island were offered Jello as a snack.
- The people of Utah consume more lime-flavored gelatin than any other state in the United States.
- The state has an entire holiday week dedicated to the jiggly treat, and it’s even Utah’s official state food.
- The dish is also the official snack of the state of Utah as recognized by Leonard M. Blackham, the state representative in the year 2001. It is rightfully so since the state has the highest consumption of Jello.
- Jello is nearly 90% sugar.
- 75% of Americans have Jell-O at home.
- A full week in February is dedicated to Jell-O.
- National Jell-O Week is celebrated February 12-18.
- Jell-O is usually eaten for a snack or dessert, but it doesn’t have to be. You can use a box to dye your hair, make finger paint or even create edible play-dough.
- 1925 – January 6, 1925, Jell-O was issued a patent for a sugarless gelatin dessert known as D-Zerta.
- Tom Lehrer, an American musician takes the credit for inventing the Jello shots by adding rum or vodka while making Jello.
- Nearly 164 million people consumed jello and other gelatin-based snacks according to a survey done in the year 2017.
- The collagen protein used in the gelatin for jello is found in the connective tissues of animals and therefore this dish is not vegan.
- A Jell-O spokesperson told TheKitchn that strawberry is overwhelmingly the most popular flavor. And that’s no surprise, seeing as strawberry pretzel squares are one of the four most popular Jell-O-centric recipes. (Jell-O Jigglers also rank high.)
- There’s a Jell-O Museum. Dedicated to Jell-O! It’s located in LeRoy, New York, where Wait created it. In addition to kitschy original ads and vintage molds, the museum seeks to answer important questions like this one, on the homepage of its website: “Who tested Jell-O for brain waves and what’s more intriguing — why?”
- Fruits that float: fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, orange and grapefruit sections, sliced peaches and pears, strawberries and fruit packed in light syrup.
- Fruits that sink: seedless grapes and fruits in heavy syrup such as apricots, cherries, fruit cocktail, peaches, pears and pineapple.
- Fresh pineapple, papaya, kiwifruit, and ginger root cannot be used because they contain enzymes that prevent gelatin from “setting”.
- March 17, 1993, technicians at St. Jerome Hospital in Batavia tested a bowl of lime Jell-O with an EEG machine and confirm the earlier testing by Dr. Adrian Upton that a bowl of wiggly Jell-O has brain waves identical to those of adult men and women.
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