The History of Jell-O

Today I did something I haven't done in decades. I made a congealed salad.  

I used a faded recipe from Carlene: peach Jell-O, buttermilk, a can of crushed pineapple, chopped pecans, and Cool Whip.  

I'm waiting patiently for it to jell.  But in the meanwhile, I'm licking the bowl.  It is so delicious! 

In the fifties, our mothers made congealed salads for luncheons and company fare.  Sometimes it was as simple as adding a can of fruit cocktail and some banana slices to the partially jelled mix. But for a company meal, it usually included a milky addition, like whipped cream, cream cheese, Cool Whip or buttermilk, along with fruit and nuts.  

It's more like a dessert than a salad really.  Since Will, Veronica and Elena are coming for dinner tomorrow night, I wanted to make it ahead of time, so I'll only need to make the chicken piccata and roasted vegetables tomorrow night. 

I wondered: how long has Jell-O been around? According to Wikipedia: 

In 1897, a man in Leroy, New York, mixed up some gelatin (patented in 1845) with oranges and lemons and berries, attempting to create a cough syrup.  I'm guessing it sat on a cold counter a while and jelled.  His wife loved the taste so much they decided to create a dessert and call it Jell-O. 

For a few years, it was marketed under the name Mr. Wiggly, but later it returned to the name we've known it by all these years. 

Growing up, I loved choosing my favorite flavors from the row of colorful boxes in the grocery store.  When we went to S&S Cafeteria in Macon, I'd chose orange, lemon or strawberry Jell-O as dessert.  

One year, the manufacturers tried coffee flavor, but it was discontinued within the year.  Same with white grapes--"the champagne of Jell-Os."  

Tomorrow night's dish is called "Buttermilk Salad"--though I had to substitute orange for peach, the flavor options fewer than what I remember.