Really, Minnesota? Are the black jelly beans your favorite?
No. This can't be right.
This must one be one of those fake-news food stories like the one about how Minnesotans love to eat grape salad at Thanksgiving. But we're gonna toss it out there as food for thought:
CandyStore.com says sales figures and surveys show the most popular jelly beans in America – and in Minnesota – are the black licorice ones.
The candy company says they went back through nine years of their sales data to determine the most popular flavor nationwide and in each state. They also did some online surveys, but say they based their final totals 90 percent on what people bought and 10 percent on what they said.
From looking at their state results on the map, it's not surprising that black licorice came in first nationally.
But ... black licorice?
This is the candy that led NBC News to talk to some taste and smell experts a few years ago in a story headlined "Why do so many of us hate black licorice?"
Black jelly beans are the candy that nearly killed a Canadian guy the National Post reported last week. Granted, that guy was eating 50 of them per day. But doctors wrote a paper on the case to make the point that the main ingredient in licorice produces high blood pressure and a potassium imbalance.
Then again ... if the guy was eating 50 of them per day he must really like the black ones.
And we've noticed that since CandyStore's results came out, lovers of black licorice jelly beans seem to be coming out, as well. Are you or someone you love among them?
