Coffee jelly facts for kids
 |
|
| Type | Jelly dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Japan, England |
| Main ingredients | Instant or fresh coffee, sugar and gelatin or agar jelly |
Coffee jelly (コーヒーゼリー, kōhī zerī) is a yummy dessert that tastes like coffee and is made into a jelly. It's sweetened with sugar. Long ago, it was popular in places like the United Kingdom and the United States. But today, you'll find it almost everywhere in Japan. You can buy it in most restaurants and even at convenience stores. Coffee jelly can be made quickly from a mix or from scratch. It's often served in cafes and restaurants.
Contents
The Sweet History of Coffee Jelly
Recipes for coffee jelly first showed up in cookbooks in England way back in 1817. The very first recipes mixed coffee with something called "calves' foot jelly." They sometimes used other things to make it clear, like isinglass.
Later, when packaged gelatin became available, making coffee jelly got much easier. Most recipes then just told you to dissolve the gelatin in hot coffee. After that, you would pour it into a mold to set.
Coffee Jelly in America
In the early 1900s, some people thought coffee jelly was a healthier choice than hot coffee. They believed the gelatin could help with too much acid in your stomach.
A famous company called Jell-O even launched a coffee gelatin mix in 1918. But this dessert didn't become super popular across the whole country. It was mostly loved in a part of the U.S. called New England.
Today, you might still find coffee jelly in states like Rhode Island and Massachusetts. For example, Durgin-Park restaurant in Boston, which opened in 1827, still served it in 2016. They even made it with leftover coffee from the day before!
Coffee Jelly's Journey to Japan
Japanese coffee jelly was created during the Taishō period (1912–1926). It was made to be like the molded jellies from Europe. This new dessert became popular with young people who liked Western styles. It grew in fame along with the rise of coffee shops.
Coffee jelly has stayed popular in Japan and is still easy to find. Even Starbucks in Japan launched a special coffee jelly frappuccino in 2016.
What is Coffee Jelly Like?
Coffee jelly is usually made from sweetened coffee. This coffee is mixed with agar, which is a jelly-like substance. Agar comes from algae and is called kanten in Japanese.
Sometimes, coffee jelly is made with gelatin instead of agar. Gelatin is more common in European and American desserts.
How to Enjoy Coffee Jelly
Coffee jelly is often cut into small cubes. These cubes are then used in many different dessert dishes and drinks.
You might find cubes of coffee jelly added to milkshakes. They can also be placed at the bottom of an ice cream float. Sometimes, they are used to decorate an ice cream sundae.
Coffee jelly is also often added to a cup of hot or iced coffee. People might add cream and gum syrup to it as well. Another popular way to eat it is by pouring condensed milk over chilled coffee jelly cubes in a bowl.
Coffee Jelly in Pop Culture
Coffee jelly has been shown many times in the popular manga and anime series The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.. In the show, it is the main character Saiki K's very favorite food!
See also
In Spanish: Gelatina de café para niños
