It’s National Gumdrop Day and frankly I’m not sure a lot more than that needs to be said.

Gum drops. Yummy. Retro. A bit quirky these days when almost anything might be “gummied”. Honestly, the bears were cute but what followed was a bit much. Worms, frogs, sharks, fish, on and on.

Apparently at some point 5 or 6 years back there was even “road kill” gummies. Oh puh-leeze. Just because you can mold something out of pectin, doesn’t automatically mean you should. What would Hans Riegel say?

Who? Hans Riegel. The guy who invented gummi bears.

But it’s not National gummi day. It’s National Gum Drop day and I will, with your permission, shift back to the original gummy treat. As usual when I come up against a foodie holiday, I go off to research the topic 0 even if it’s something quite common and well-known – like mayonnaise. I always find out something new and often a bit surprising. You wouldn’t think there would be anything surprising about mayo (assuming it has been properly refrigerated, I mean) but who knew it was linked to Cardinal Richelieu?! (yes, that Richelieu).

So, what have I learned about gumdrops.

• Well, first of all, I thought it was two words and it appears to be one.  This isn’t a big deal but being a “wordy” type – I was surprised.
• Nor did I know that in the UK the gumdrops I am familiar with may be  called ‘American hard gums.’  I say may be since even Wikipedia seems to want some documentation on that. Still, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be true. They call the game Clue (Miss Scarlet in the Library with the lead pipe) ‘Cluedo.’ * Why not call chewy gumdrops ‘hard?’
• I wouldn’t have dreamed of making gumdrops at home but it seems that some people do.

I don’t think I ever had a favorite “flavor” gumdrop (and I use the word flavor advisedly). Do you? Don’t they all taste ever so slightly the same?

But that doesn’t detract from their charm. Even if it’s charm enhanced by the distance of time and being viewed through rose-tinted glasses of childhood past.

Happy National Gumdrop Day to one and all.