These old Jell-O Crown Jewel Dessert recipes still make dazzling treats - Click Americana (2024)

FAQs

What is America's most famous dessert? ›

First trademarked in 1897, Jell-O began its rise in popularity with the introduction in 1904 of the prophetic slogan "America's Most Famous Dessert." Soon accompanying the slogan was the blonde Jell-O Girl, an icon of the product for almost half a century.

Introduced in 1897, Jell-O soon captured a large share of the gelatin market with its national advertising campaigns.

THE HISTORY OF JELL-O

HELLO “There's Always Room for Jell-O.” This is the campaign slogan of a simple gelatin dessert that today is known as “America's Most Famous Dessert.” The success story is one, the result of advertising and merchandising methods, new and different, never before employed.

The "Jell-O girl" was introduced in 1908 and was wildly successful at convincing Americans to associate Jell-O with the purity and innocence of childhood. Sales of sugar, and therefore Jell-O, were rationed during World War I, but in the interwar period (the 1920s and '30s), the popularity of gelatin salads soared.

The most expensive dessert is The Frrrozen Haute Chocolate ice cream sundae costing $25,000 (£12,000), which was added to the menu of the Serendipity 3 restaurant, New York, USA on 7 November 2007. The dessert uses a fine blend of 28 cocoas, including 14 of the world's most expensive.

There are a few reasons: Jell-O is easy to swallow and digest, making it suitable for patients who have difficulty eating solid foods or have digestive issues. It's smooth texture and mild flavor make it more tolerable for those with sensitive stomachs or who are recovering from surgery.

Jell-O shifted to single-serve cups and more convenient options as competition for snacks and desserts grew. Kraft in the early 2000's shifted the focus of Jell-O's advertising away from kids and toward adults. It pitched sugar-free Jell-O, for example, as a treat for Atkins dieters.

1897 – The original four Jell-O gelatin flavors were raspberry, strawberry, lemon, and orange. 1904 – Cherry and chocolate flavors are introduced. 1918 – Coffee flavor is introduced, but only in certain regions. 1930 – Lime flavor is introduced, accompanied by a recipe book.

And so it is clear that each state ought to claim its own dessert, even as we all praise apple pie as the ultimate symbol of Americana.

What dessert did America invent? ›

Boston Cream Pie was supposedly perfected and popularized around 1850 in the Park House Hotel in Boston, making it truly an All-American dessert.

Green Jell-o is the official state snack of Utah and Utahans consume the most Jell-o per year in the world!!! We spent Thanksgiving in Utah last year so I made sure to check out the Jell-o selection at two grocery stores - pretty impressive!!!! Notice it is all Jell-o brand too!

The original gelatin dessert began in Le Roy, New York, in 1897, when Pearle Bixby Wait trademarked the name Jell-O. He and his wife May had made the product by adding strawberry, raspberry, orange, and lemon flavoring to sugar and granulated gelatin (which had been patented in 1845).

Although the exact history of how Peter Cooper created the product is unknown to us today, we do know that in 1845 he secured a patent (US Patent 4084) for a gelatin dessert powder called “portable gelatin.” His invention was a basic edible gelatin that had no flavoring to it.

Although apple pie originated in Europe, it is not uncommon to hear that “there is nothing more American than apple pie.” In fact, The Apple pie of the States has become a symbol of the American culture and a national dessert.

Apple pie is traditionally associated with American patriotism and national identity. During World War II, soldiers famously claimed they were fighting for “mom and apple pie.” Since then, apple pie has become a symbol of family and home for many Americans.

Homemade apple pie

There might be some European variations, but we all know that saying, "as American as apple pie". Try our classic Bramley apple pie with homemade shortcrust pastry.