Posts tagged “easter”

A History of Peeps

Posted on April 6, 2012

Did you know that peeps are basically indestructible?  Not water, nor powerful acids, nor powerful bases dissolve them.  That’s one tough little tweeter! Food Finds about Peeps Peeps have been the #1 non-chocolate easter candy for over 20 years. In 1953, it took 27 hours to make a peep because of time-consuming details like hand-painted eyes. Today, it takes 6 minutes to make a peep. The leading peep-eating champion ate 102 peeps in 30 minutes. The leading speed-eating champ ate 7 peeps in 30 seconds. The main colors of peeps in order of popularity are yellow, pink, lavender, and white. Peeps have a shelf life of 2 years. They do not dissolve in water, sulfuric acid, or sodium hydroxide.  It is commonly believed that…

Categories: Encyclopedia

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A History of the Easter Egg

Posted on April 4, 2012

Did you know that some European children still go door to door begging for Easter eggs just like American children do with candy on Halloween?  The practice is called pace-egging. Easter falls in the spring, the yearly time of renewal, when the earth renews itself after a long, cold winter. The word Easter comes to us from the Norsemen’s Eostur, Eastar, Ostara, and Ostar, and the pagan goddess Eostre, all of which involve the season of the growing sun and new birth. The Easter Bunny arose originally as a symbol of fertility, due to the rapid reproduction habits of the hare and rabbit. The ancient Egyptians, Persians, Phoenicians, and Hindus all believed the world began with an enormous egg, thus the egg as a…

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A History of Chocolate Bunnies

Posted on April 3, 2012

Did you know that hollow chocolate bunnies are a by-product of WWII cocoa rationing?  That way, they could keep their appealing shape while using significantly less material. Smithsonian magazine reports that the chocolate bunny has existed since the 19th century when it was initially created in Germany. Gourmet.com states that these treats were hidden for kids to find around springtime to commemorate the season. Whitman’s Chocolates produced chocolate bunnies as a take on the tradition in the mid 1800s, but not everyone was keen on the idea just yet. In 1890, Robert Strohecker was the first American shop owner to use a five-foot-tall chocolate bunny as an Easter promotion in his drug store. However, it wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century when…

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A History of Jelly Beans

Posted on April 2, 2012

Did you know that the origin of the jelly bean is still unknown?  There are suspicions, however, that they descend from Turkish Delight, a treat that was popular in Biblical times. Jordan Almonds, which are the other possible origin of the modern day jelly bean are also made this way and were made popular in the 1600’s in France. The first appearance of what would become the modern day jelly bean was promoted to Union Soldiers during the Civil War. It takes 7 to 21 days to make a jelly bean. There are 130 calories and 37 grams of sugar in one serving of jelly beans which equals about 35 jelly beans. In the early 20th century, a “jelly-bean” was slang for a man…

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