Jell-O is the king of all sleek, wobbly desserts. From pie fillings to the gelatinous Bundt pan tower, its hold on vintage recipes and Midwestern food is strong. This all-American brand has brought up a generation of kids who bought its chocolate pudding cups and grew up to make sticky disasters out of cherry Jell-O shots, and, ironically, the greatest consumers of Jell-O don’t participate in that latter activity.
Utah drinks less alcohol per capita than any other state (due to its large Mormon influence), but it beats every competitor in snacking on Jell-O. In 2001, legislators rallied to make it the official state food ahead of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and sponsored pins sporting the green cubed confection became a part of the merchandise. This move was on the heels of a competition with Des Moines, Idaho, which briefly surpassed Utah in Jell-O indulgence in 1999. Lime was the top flavor at the time, and its iconic color and tangy taste have made it the perfect treat to enjoy after some salty funeral potatoes and fry sauce.
Utah’s sweet tooth is nothing new
Utah and its Mormon community are known to have an affinity for sweet treats, probably because sugar has been a huge part of agriculture in the area for a long time. The founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, even grew up on a farm making maple sugar, and in the late 1800s, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints funded and helped sustain the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company from its inception. A close-knit community with large families, many of them working at these factories, made sugar more accessible in this region than in other parts of the country. The religious prohibition on alcohol and caffeine aside, it’s not hard to see why things like “dirty soda” fit right into Mormon life.
As industrialism and trade grew in the 20th century, Jell-O appeared as a godsend (pun unintended) for its accessibility and taste. It was full of fun, fruity flavors as a wholesome dessert to share among several people, requiring little effort to prepare. Cooking has never been easier than “just add water.” In the 1960s and 1970s, Jell-O made it a point to have a family-friendly brand image with campaigns featuring America’s favorite TV dad at the time, Bill Cosby (pre-reckoning). While it wasn’t an inherently Mormon thing, Jell-O nonetheless became a big part of Utah’s food scene, with inventive interpretations in recipes like the frog-eye salad. From church potlucks to BYU cafeterias, this sugary, gelatinous dessert is an instant-ready classic.
