The origin of Blue Raspberry: an Iconic American flavor
Research paper by: William S.G.
Here is a list of some of the most iconic flavors -also spelled flavours, because if not mentioned the British will have my head on a spike- in American summer treats: Strawberry, Lemon-Lime, Pina Colada, Root Beer, and Banana. What do these all have in common? They are all real things -Pina Colada might be a mythical unicorn or something though. There is one flavor, however, that doesn’t follow the same trend. Of course, the flavor I’m talking about is Blue Raspberry. Though Blue Raspberry is no doubt iconic, the somewhat mysterious origin of the berry grown in the land of make believe is, well, interesting. The origin of blue raspberry is no doubt an interesting tale about success by compromise.
Red raspberries are one thing, but where did the idea of a blue raspberry come from? Interestingly one of the iconic parts of the American Summers was all a part of a coincidence. Around 1976 the red dye known as “FD&C Red №2” was banned by the FDA for being “highly addictive”. It all started when Soviet scientists tested the dye on female rats and found cancer cells -yes, the Americans trusted the Soviets on this. This discovery naturally turned into panic in the average American. The panic caused a negative impact in popularity for red food and make-up. An example of the effects of this panic was the fact that the M&Ms company temporarily ceased production of the red M&Ms -though they never actually had the FD&C Red №2 dye to begin with.
We got the red, but what about the blue? Well, another contributing factor of the creation of blue raspberry is the fact that there were many red colors and the children of the time were not able to tell the difference between, say, cherry and strawberry -or tiger’s blood in which in itself is a rather weird flavor in of itself. Raspberry flavor was originally a dark red, but in order to stand out among the crowd companies used a brilliant blue dye that was found in the storage rooms. Soon enough, people automatically recognized the “blue flavor” as blue raspberry.
Blue raspberry is common for multiple iconic snacks, each with a very similar story. Over time the idea of a blue raspberry became mainstream. Soon enough, companies started incorporating the flavor to every raspberry-like treat. Some of the most iconic blue raspberry flavored things would include: ICEE (1970), Jolly Rancher (2011), AirHeads (1985) ,and Kool-Aid(1927). The blue Kool-Aid everyone knows and loves however, wasn’t originally blue raspberry, but changed somewhat soon after the invention of the flavor.
A brief history of the creator, Gold Medal would be ideal in determining the history of the flavor.
Gold Medal was founded in 1931 by Mr. Dave Evans. Gold Medal was world renowned for using Klix Kola syrup for their Ice Shavings -sugar was being rationed during the time of ww2. After the war, gold medal would innovate popcorn machines, sno-cone machines, and cotton candy machines. Gold Medal became synonymous with some of America’s iconic movie food.
Though 1976 was when Blue Raspberry flavored treats were rapidly introduced to the public, Gold Medal -being the innovators they are- created their blue raspberry flavors all the way back in 1958.
Gold Medal’s blue raspberry flavor, while popular, wouldn’t be considered a marketable flavor until 1976’s “red scare”. Before the blue raspberry introduction there were 5 main fruit flavors for American treats: Lemon, Lime, Orange, Cherry, Strawberry -cherry and strawberry were often interchangeable.
Nowadays grape, blueberry, watermelon, and tropical fruit flavors have seen a spike in popularity. This has been caused by the fruit revolution in the United States of America. In the late 1890s/1900s fruits became more preservable and thus, they were easier to be shipped across from Europe. The ease of transport and perseverance made it so that the common American had access to fruit they’ve never seen before.
An interesting tidbit is that pineapple was seen as a luxury in the 18th century due to how hard it was for Europeans and Americans to gain access to the fruit. Pineapples were even rented by upperclassmen as symbols of power. The luxury of pineapples soon dissolved into a tropical grave after the fruit revolution in America and Europe. The revolution caused pineapples to be easily transported and stored, making it abundant and accessible.
Fresh fruit in 19th century America was only grown on trees. The idea that fresh fruit was able to be shipped via boats, and preserved was utterly absurd. The idea of preserved food would be one of the greatest innovations in American food history.
Red Raspberries were first brought to America in 1771, when British settlers brought the berries with them to the new world. There are many versions of the classic raspberry. Black raspberries -not to be confused with blackberries- were first grown around the 1800s. Other variants of raspberries include the purple and golden raspberries.
Red raspberries were key in the development of Blue Raspberry. It’s obvious that the flavor of Blue raspberry wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for its bright red ancestor. Berries themselves have been a key part of the human food chain since the start of man. Without the presence of berries, mankind wouldn’t have domesticated bushes, and vines. If it were not for the ancient people who died eating potentially poisonous berries we would have to take a risk every time we entered the produce section at the local market.
The taste of American flavors -such as blue raspberry- has a very profound effect on the international food culture. Blue raspberry isn’t only an American flavor. American influence in food has made it possible for other countries to try the flavor. A good example of this is Mcdonalds, there are over 35,000 Mcdonalds in the world. The effect Mcdonalds has over a large majority of the planet’s population -though negative for world health- gives many countries the opportunity to taste unfamiliar flavors.
Blue raspberry was created to appeal towards the panicked Americans -terrified of red dye. Of course, access to fresh fruit made American treats more varied and abundant. The fruit revolution caused Raspberry -and other fruits- to be more popular. Red raspberry was one of the most popular flavors until its blue counterpart came into market. Overtime, more and more products came out with the blue raspberry flavor until red raspberry as a flavor became obscure and rare to find. Blue raspberry now stands as a titan of American food culture, with the likes of strawberry, watermelon, pineapple and others. The Modern supermarket has a plenty of products with the iconic blue flavor that originated from red dye, soviet scientists and a fruit revolution that redefined the American delicacy.
Sources: https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/blue-raspberry-flavor-brief-history/
https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-blue-raspberry-flavor-2017-1
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29273/what-heck-blue-raspberry
https://www.candyfavorites.com/shop/history-of-airheads-candy.php
https://www.thedailymeal.com/drink/kool-aid-facts
https://www.gmpopcorn.com/company/history
https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/school-nutrition/pdf/fact-sheet-raspberry.pdf
