Gumdrops are a type of gummy candy. They are brightly colored pectin-based pieces, shaped like a narrow dome (sometimes with a flattened top), often coated in granulated sugar and having fruit and spice flavors; the latter are also known as spice drops.

History

Gumdrops first appeared in the 19th century

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, purportedly as early as 1801, although at that time they likely referred to small, hard sweets also derived from fruit gelatin. The name "gumdrop" is not found in print until 1859, appearing in an advertisement published by the

Decatur, IL Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Ce ...

''Illinois State Chronicle'' for a candy shop owned by a George Julier. By that time, a gelatin-based, rubbery candy akin to modern

gummies Gummies, gummi candies, gummy candies, or jelly sweets are a broad category of gelatin-based chewable sweets. Gummi bears, Sour Patch Kids, and Jelly Babies are widely popular and are a well-known part of the sweets industry. Gummies are availab ...

went by the ''gumdrop'' name, but also a pastier candy with a

potato starch Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain leucoplasts (starch grains). To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed, and the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells. T ...

base. One of the oldest types of gumdrops still produced are "spice" gumdrops, using traditional spices including clove, anise, allspice, spearmint, cinnamon, and wintergreen for flavoring.

Usage

Gumdrops, spice drops, and their variations are used in baking for decorating cakes. Around

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

, they are sometimes used to decorate

gingerbread house Gingerbread refers to a broad category of baked goods, typically flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sweetened with honey, sugar, or molasses. Gingerbread foods vary, ranging from a moist loaf cake to forms nearly as crisp as ...

s and other confections.

In popular culture

The

Apollo 9 Apollo 9 (March 313, 1969) was the third human spaceflight in NASA's Apollo program. Flown in low Earth orbit, it was the second crewed Apollo mission that the United States launched via a Saturn V rocket, and was the first flight of the ful ...

Command module was nicknamed "Gumdrop". The board game ''

Candy Land ''Candy Land'' (also ''Candyland'') is a simple racing board game published by Hasbro. The game requires no reading and minimal counting skills, making it suitable for young children. No strategy is involved as players are never required to ma ...

'' includes a "Gumdrop Pass" and "Gumdrop Mountain". The use of the expression "goody gumdrops" as an alliterative exclamation of joy was first recorded in the 1959 novel '' Strike Out Where Not Applicable'' by British crime author Nicolas Freeling: "Buttered toast, and cherry cake, as well as

Marmite Marmite ( ) is a British savoury food spread based on yeast extract, invented by the German scientist Justus von Liebig. It is made from by-products of beer brewing ( lees) and is produced by the British company Unilever. Marmite is a vegan ...

. Goody, goody gumdrops."

References

External links

Cooks.com Gumdrop recipes
Gummi candies es:Pastilla de goma {{Candy

History

Usage

In popular culture

See also

References

External links