Sugar & Spice & All Things Nice
What were your favourite sweets when you were a child? Do you remember Calipso Bars, Big Time Bars, Black Jacks, Fruit Salads, Dip Dabs, Refreshers, Hubba Bubba, Cola Bottles, Fizzy Cola Bottles, Gummy Bears and Milk Teeth? Everyone in my family has a very sweet tooth. I remember myself and my siblings used to burst with excitement when we got our weekly pocket money – the grand sum of 5 old pence – we would race to the local sweet shop and take our time choosing our favourite treats. Some of my all time favourites were cola bottles and milk teeth. Because of the jelly texture they didn’t dissolve in your mouth – you had a good old time chewing, and chewing and chewing……they lasted ages. Those were the good old days!!!
Recently I was visiting with a friend and her son offered me one of his sweets. To my delight, I found my favourite cola bottles in the bag. I popped the cola bottle into my mouth and savoured the lovely juicy flavor of cola – a flashback to my youth!
A few days later I was scrolling through the internet and I came across this picture
I could not believe what I was seeing! I had no idea that many sweets such as gummy bears, marshmallows, cola bottles and my favourite milk teeth were made from gelatin which is derived from collagen which is obtained from various animal by-products!! Have I been living on another planet??
Gelatin is a mixture of peptides and proteins produced by partial hydrolsis of collagen extracted from the skin, boiled crushed horn, hoof and bones, connective tissues, organs and some intestines of animals such as domesticated cattle, chicken, pigs and horses. Food-grade gelatin is produced mainly from two raw materials, beef skin and pig hide. [nb: the chart below says the inverse]. Photographic and pharma grades of gelatin are generally made from beef bones, although some beef bone gelatin is used by the food industry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin
So for all you vegans and vegetarians out there, who may be like I was – oblivious to the source of gelatin – no more sweet treats of the jelly kind for us!!
Here’s to the memories
Maria
gingerandlife 