They're called candies in America, sweets in Britain, lollies in Australia and New Zealand, but whatever name they go by, lots and lots of lollies are eaten during Easter. Easter has risen in the candy-eating pyramid over the years - now the second most important candy-eating occasion of the year. Is it because Easter is a caring holiday, a sweet time when things are reborn, when we start believing again in all that is good in this world? What better way to celebrate than with sweet treats?
However one looks at it, sweet treats will be part of Easter traditions. Here are my favorite lollies for Easter.
CHOCOLATE
I bet Montezuma couldn't have dreamed that his humble chocolate drink has turned into creations the world over enjoys and is one of the, if not the, most popular sweet eaten over Easter.
The first chocolate egg appeared in Germany and France in the early 1800s, soon spreading throughout Europe when it became a luxurious treat. First, it was solid eggs followed by hollow eggs. When the 19th century came, chocolate eggs fast became Easter's symbolic gift and by the 20th century, it was well-established as the Easter gift of choice.
As chocolate rose in popularity as Easter gifts, thanks to the ingenuity of chocolate makers, countless shapes beyond the "egg" - chocolate bunnies, chicks, birds - emerged. Millions and millions of chocolate bunnies and eggs are made worldwide for Easter every year. The most popular being milk chocolate and dark chocolate.
How do you like your chocolate bunnies and eggs - white, milk or dark?
JELLYBEANS
By the time Jellybeans were linked to Easter, they were already popular lollies in America. Sold in glass jars, these lollies made for colorful window dressing in candy shops throughout the country. But rather than its color, it was their egg-like shape that tied them to Easter. The Easter Bunny was believed to bring eggs, the symbol of fertility.
These lollies are sold as an assortment of different flavors, most of them fruit-based. Currently, red or cherry-flavored jellybeans are Easter favorites, with strawberry, grape, lime and blueberry following. Jelly Beans are the size of a red kidney bean and are lollies with firm candy shells and soft chewy centers.
Jelly Beans were probably first made by Boston candy maker William Schraft who promoted these lollies by urging people to send them to Union Soldiers fighting in the Civil War. In the early 1900s, Jellybeans were so popular they were sold by weight. And in the 1930s, they became a standard Easter gift.
How do you enjoy your Jelly Beans, one at a time, several or a handful at once?
PEEPS
Easter represents rebirth. It's symbolic, in a way, that Peeps - one of the most well-known symbols of Easter lollies in America - are produced by Just Born. But Just Born and Easter don't have a link except, maybe it's marshmallow lollies that Americans buy by millions each Easter season. Just Born was named after a slogan its founder, Russian immigrant Sam Born, concocted.
Peeps are lollies made from marshmallow, corn syrup, gelatin and carnauba wax, a palm wax. The original peeps are the three-dimensional yellow chicks - hence their name. But eventually, the multitude of shapes (including bunnies and eggs) and colors (pink, lavender, blue and white) evolved. However, yellow chicks remain the Easter favorite.
No one could ever explain why anyone thought yellow chicks made for appropriate Easter lollies. It just came to be. As their slogan says, "A great candy isn't made... it's Just Born."
No doubt, chocolate is the most popular sweet eaten over Easter. Lollies (or non-chocolate candies) have been a relatively recent addition. What are your favorites? I know people will have different selections or versions of these lollies. But what we do know is that come Easter morning, the gardens will be full of chocolate bunnies, eggs and lollies, small ones and big ones. And there will be children - and adults alike - hopping in their own bunny ways looking for these sweet treats.
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