Peeps! Easter’s Sugary Treat
According to several sources, Americans will eat more than 600 million Marshmallow Peeps and Bunnies this Easter. That is A LOT OF SUGAR! ‘Just Born’’s Bethlehem, Pa., factory makes more than 1 billion Peeps a year. That’s 4 million Peeps a day.
The ‘Just Born’ candy tradition began in 1910 when Sam Born immigrated to the United States from Russia. A candy maker by trade, Born used innovative technology to produce chocolate sprinkles, the hard chocolate coating for ice cream bars and invented a machine that mechanically inserted sticks into lollipops. In 1923, he opened a small candy making and retail store in Brooklyn, New York. The name came from his daily-made candy displayed in a store window with a sign that declared, “Just Born.”
Eventually, after relocation to Bethlehem, the candy business continued to thrive throughout the 1930s and 40s and in 1953, Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company of Lancaster, PA. Although Rodda was best known for its jelly beans, it also made a small line of marshmallow products that included a popular Easter Peep that was made by laboriously hand-squeezing marshmallow through pastry tubes. The eyes were painted on by hand!
These days, machines crank out 3,500 Peeps’ eyes per minute. We didn’t get Peeps in our Easter baskets growing up, but I can definitely remember some chocolate bunnies! Did you have Peeps today?
Beyond the reason for the season, (Christ is Risen!), here are some Fun Facts for this popular, sugary Easter treat.
v Popular ways to eat Peeps: stale, microwaved, frozen, roasted, or served as toppings on pizza.
v Until 1995, when lavender was added, Peeps only came in three colors: yellow, pink and white. Blue Peeps were hatched for Easter in 1998.
v Each Peep has 32 calories, 0 fat grams and 7.3 grams sugar
v Yellow Peeps are the most popular, followed by pink, lavender, blue, and then white.
v During Easter, Peeps outsell jellybeans.
v Peeps-manufacturer Just Born also makes Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike, Just Born Jelly Beans and Teenee Beanee gourmet jelly beans. sls
Sources: http://www.npr.org/programs/watc/features/2002/mar/peeps/facts.html
http://www.justborn.com/