Food History: Gummy Bears | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Gummy bears, originally a German snack, have grown in popularity worldwide due to their unique texture and cute bear-shaped design.

Key Insights

• 🇩🇪 Gummy bears were originally a German product and were not widely available outside of Germany until the 1980s.
• 🧔 The shape of gummy bears is connected to the tradition of trained dancing bears in Europe, which involved animal abuse.
• 🧔 Haribo revolutionized the gummy candy market with their fruit-flavored gelatin bears, making them a worldwide phenomenon.
• 🥺 The success of gummy bears led to the production of various gummy shapes by other candy companies.
• 👅 The perception of taste can be influenced by the color of gummy bears.
• 🧔 Gummy bears became popular in the US through the introduction of American companies like Haribo and Hermann Goelitz.
• 🧔 Gummy bears also infiltrated popular culture with the creation of the animated series "Adventures of the Gummy Bears."

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How did gummy bears evolve from a German product to a worldwide phenomenon?

Gummy bears gained worldwide popularity after Haribo introduced fruit-flavored gelatin bears in the 1920s, capturing the hearts of consumers with their unique texture and cute bear-shaped designs.

Q: Why did Haribo choose to mold their gummies into bear shapes?

Haribo chose bear shapes as an homage to the European tradition of trained dancing bears, which were popular in the Middle Ages. Bears were a recognizable image to German consumers.

Q: What is the connection between gummy bears and animal abuse?

The shape of gummy bears is linked to the tradition of trained dancing bears. Captive bears were poached as cubs and subjected to abusive practices in order to teach them to dance, leaving a dark legacy.

Q: How did gummy bears become popular in the United States?

Gummy bears gained popularity in the US in the 1980s when companies like Haribo opened offices in America. Soon, Americans were enjoying gummy candies in various shapes and forms.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Gummy bears, originally from Germany, were once considered a niche product and were even used in German language classes in the US to teach about German cuisine.

• The first jelly candies, such as Turkish delight, used starch instead of gelatin for a soft texture.

• Haribo, a German sweets company, revolutionized the gummy candy market by creating fruit-flavored gelatin bears, which became a global sensation.