According to a 1926 Jell-O advertisement, Jell-O is the most famous American dessert. Really? Was that an accurate statement a hundred years ago? . . . or was it the aspirations of a company advertising a product?
I think that the old ad was referring to the U.S. when the it said “America,” but I’m not sure. Maybe it meant North America or all of the Americas.
Based on an informal survey of two people – my husband and myself – the most famous dessert in the U.S. is apple pie. Of course, it could have been something different a hundred years ago (Jell-O????).
I’m sure they were not referring to the Americas. Also sure jello has never been the most famous desert of the USA. At least I hope not!!
I also hope its not the most famous dessert in the USA.
My guess is that you’re right about apple pie –as American as–, but I associate Jello with my paternal grandmother. She always had a bowl of Jello in her fridge. We ate a lot of it in our house, too. I seem to recall that when I was younger, if my mother hadn’t baked, we would have Jello for dessert.
I don’t consider Jell-O as the most famous dessert, but I do think that it was a very popular food during much of the 20th century. My family tended it eat it more as a salad than as a dessert, though, as you noted, it can be either.
I think Jell-O is an easy and quick dessert, and easier to make than apple pie. It is probably made more often. One item on my bucket list is to visit the Museum of Jell-O in LeRoy, NY, the birthplace of Jell-O.
I bet you’re right that more people make Jell-O than make apple pies. You comment about the Museum of Jell-O intrigued me, and I searched online to figure out where LeRoy, NY is located (Western, NY). If I get to that area, I now also want to visit the museum. It sounds like a fun one. (An aside, I’ve been to the SPAM museum and really liked it.)
There are some “interesting” museums out there.
Just to add, Houston had a funeral museum. I never went to it.
I’m also going to pass on the funeral museum.
Apple pie gets my vote too!
Good to hear that it also gets your vote.
With ice cream of course!
Of course.
😋😋😋
Obviously I’ve heard of Jell-O but I don’t really know what it is. I assume jelly? If so, that was a popular pud among chidren when I was small too. I’m not sure if you can even buy jelly cubes any more! I doubt it.
Jell-O a flavored gelatin. People in the U.S. used to frequently make “finger gelatin” for children to eat. It’s a gelatin that contains lots and lots of the gelatin and relatively little water. I think that the mixture was often put into a cake pan (or other flat pan). After it thickened, it was cut into cubes, and people ate it with their fingers. It sounds like it might be similar to jelly cubes.
I see! So you didn’t make wobbly jellies in moulds? They were a staple of childen’s birthday parties when I was a child, and even during my children’ childhoods.
Wobbly jellies (gelatin) in molds were popular in the U.S. in the early- and mid-20th century. In general, people today just put wobbly jellies in bowls. The finger food form (which wasn’t wobbly) was put in pans and cut into cubes. I don’t remember jellies ever being a common food served at children’s birthday parties. Cake and ice cream are birthday foods here.
Same here now. But jelly was ‘a thing’ once!
Seeing a lot about Jell-o lately on my feeds. We used to eat a lot of it… Cool, cheap, lots of things to do with it.
Way-back-when…. I even made my own sugar free jello before the company started to make and sell it. I used a can of diet soda and a pack of knox gelatin. I wonder if there is a use by day on those packs of knox?
That’s a good point. It was cool, cheap, and could be used to make lots of different foods. The sugar-free gelatin you made using a can of diet soda sounds really good.
I think it was Jell-O wishful thinking!
I tend to agree with you.
Interesting as always, Sheryl. In curiosity, I asked Google what was the most famous American dessert. Since AI is first on the list of what comes up, now, the two sources were your post and the University of Michigan’s online exhibit of Jello’s efforts at marketing worldwide. Readers might find it interesting. It is based on the marketing used by Jello from 1904 forward and includes interesting illustrations, “world-wide fairy tales” that include Jello, and menus. As the introduction (It was a scholarly work) points out, it was Jello’s attempt to be global, albeit it was Oriental and racist, in efforts to show what Jello was not as well as what it was. As marketing goes, it was quite successful in those early years as they wanted to show Jello was sophisticated as well as easily prepared. The link to the University of Michigan article is https://apps.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/jell-o/gallery. Great food for thought!
Wow -thanks for sharing the link to U of Michigan site. What a find! I really enjoyed reading the overview and related webpages. The Jell-O company sure did a lot of advertising that I’m sure was very innovative at the time (even if some of it makes me cringe today). It’s interesting that they decided to position Jell-O as a global product while also linking the product to the cleanliness of the modern factory where it was made. The advertising must have worked. Jell-O has been very popular for many years.
I agree–the illustrations were interesting, and indeed, cringe-worthy. I would add that insulting other cultures does not seem to have gone out of style either.
Interesting. My understanding has always been that apple pie was the most popular U.S. dessert. Here in Canada, it’s the Nanaimo bar or the butter tart; both are considered iconic. I mostly associate jelly or gelatine desserts with pre-schoolers or hospitals. Good marketing effort on the part of the Jello company, though!
Until I read your comment, I wasn’t familiar with the Nanaimo bar or butter tarts (which surprised me, since I would have guessed that we would eat similar desserts). In any case, I did an online search and found recipes for Nanaimo bars and butter tarts. They look wonderful – and now I might just have to try making one of them sometime soon.
There’s a big argument here about whether butter tarts should have raisins in them. My mom always wanted them, but I always find them unnecessary. In the end it’s a matter of taste. I love both these desserts. Have fun with them. Cheers.
Good to know that they can be made either way.
Always hated geletin.
I can take it or leave it. Brings back memories of food I got when I was sick, but it also brings back warm memories of family reunions. I can also remember when gelatin was considered kitschy in the late 20th century – and find it fascinating that it seems to currently be having a resurgence in popularity.
Apple pie for the win! I do remember my grandmother making Jell-O with strawberries and banana slices embedded in it. To my child’s brain, it was magic.
I can see how the Jell-O with strawberries and banana slices seemed magical. My mother used to occasionally make whipped Jell-O when I was a child, and it also seemed magical.
I am sure Jell-O was helpful for women who wanted a snack for their kids. You don’t see Jell-O ads anymore.
Never had one, but I have recently seen various online sources promoting Jell-O Shots.
The idea makes me shudder!
Makes me shudder, too.
Forget the Jello, I’m with you and your love of apple pie!
Apple Pie is the best.
Since I’ve never heard anyone say that they were craving a bowl of Jello, I think I’ll go along with your thinking that it might be the iconic American apple pie.
Good point – Like you, I have never heard anyone say that they were craving a bowl of Jello.
I agree with you and your husband about the apple pie. When we had visitors from North Macedonia (old friends from an international high school I went to as a teen) they couldn’t wait to try the American apple pie they hear so much about.
It’s amazing the people from other countries have even heard about American Apple Pie, and want to try it.