Long Live Gumdrops

    For some reason I’ve become addicted to gumdrops. Yes, those brightly-colored gelatin- or pectin-based pieces, shaped like a truncated cones and coated in granulated sugar. It’s a secret addiction, so keep your yap shut.

Keeping it quiet fits this candy. The history of gumdrops is uncertain, although some say they were invented in 1801 by a man named Percy Trusdale. There’s no information out there as to who he was, where he was when he invented the gumdrop, or what he did to establish himself as the inventor. There are no details about him and his invention. Did he yell, “Eureka!” Were gumdrops planned or a mistake (was he trying to create chewing gum in the form of fruit “drops?”). Did he die a happy man because of his invention? A mystery…