It may be that the jelly beans are descendents of Turkish delight, rocked in syrup to give them a coating. They are a classic "penny candy" and have come to be associated with Easter because of their slightly egg, lozenge shape. A jelly bean takes an astonishing 6-10 days to make. They are now divided into "gourmet", softer, smaller and with flavour contained in the shell as well as in the jelly, and "traditional".
