Blue jelly beans were created for Ronald Reagan.

Jar of jelly beans

All presidents have their culinary pleasures, from James Madison’s passion for ice cream to George H.W. Bush’s fondness for pork rinds. But few presidents loved snacks to the degree that Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans, a food that he initially relied on to help kick his pipe smoking habit in 1966. At the time, Reagan’s preferred brand was Goelitz Mini Jelly Beans, which were produced by an Oakland-based company that sent Reagan monthly shipments while he served as governor of California. In 1976, one year after Reagan left that office, the company introduced the Jelly Belly brand, which became the politician’s favorite (particularly the licorice flavor). When Reagan was elected president, the company even developed new blue beans in honor of his presidential inauguration in 1981.

Reagan requested red, white, and blue jelly beans for the event, figuring it would be a fittingly patriotic spread. Jelly Belly already had red- and white-colored beans (Very Cherry and coconut, respectively), but there was no blue jelly bean at the time. To remedy this, Jelly Belly made a new blueberry-flavored bean to complete the trifecta of American colors. When the day of Reagan’s inauguration arrived in January 1981, Jelly Belly sent a 3.5-ton shipment of jelly beans to the White House to commemorate the occasion. After Reagan took office, his administration gave Jelly Belly the OK to produce jars decorated with the presidential seal, which the president handed out as gifts to foreign dignitaries and other notable figures.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Thomas Jefferson recorded one of America’s first ice cream recipes.

Before becoming the third U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson served as a global ambassador in Europe. Upon returning to the U.S., he helped popularize a number of foreign foods, including tomatoes, macaroni and cheese, and french fries. Though he didn’t invent it, Jefferson was also among the first Americans to record a recipe for ice cream. One of 10 surviving recipes penned in Jefferson’s hand, the ice cream recipe likely dates to the founder’s time in France (1784 to 1789), where Jefferson was most likely introduced to the food by his French butler, Adrien Petit. When Jefferson returned to America, his inventory included “quatre moules à glace” (four ice molds), allowing him to prepare the treat stateside. The recipe was a simple one, including two bottles of “good cream,” six egg yolks, and a half pound of sugar, which were then mixed, boiled, stirred, and set in ice. There are no fewer than six recorded instances of White House guests being served the dessert during Jefferson’s presidency (1801 to 1809), often inside a pastry.