♫ Gumdrops keep sweetening my head ♫

Following the Easter celebrations, zillions of homes in the world are flooded with sugary treats brought by the bunny. While many people are now filled with guilt for binge eating chocolate, I invite you to go a different way. Instead of consuming yourself with worry about your body shape, let us dwell for a few moments in yet another sweet childhood memory in this blog: gumdrops.

Here in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, we call them balas de goma (literally: gum candies). In other parts of the country, they are called jujubas.

Strawberry, lemon, pineapple and tangerine-flavored gumdrops
Photo: Diego Mandarino 

I had the opportunity to meet these colorful sugar gems once again this Easter, after a long while. So much time had passed that I had grown doubtful about the quality of gumdrops, thinking it might have been a childhood passion that would not persist in adult life.

But... how surprised I was a few days ago when I chewed the first one from a small bag of ten. All of a sudden, my sugar-coated memories proved to be consistent enough, for the taste of the slightly sticky pellet brought those elusive sensorial remembrances back to life as it massaged all the areas inside my mouth and its aroma hit my tasting nerves.

The first thing I have always liked about gumdrops is that their colors are not random, but each one indicates a specific flavor. The second important aspect for me about them is that these candies are indeed fruit-flavored; our taste buds can feel the strawberry signature in the red drop,  the lemon trademark in the green drop, and so on. They are not bland at all, as is sometimes the case with other sweets. No; gumdrops have distinctive savors.

I like all gumdrops, but the pineapple one strikes a special chord. It's often the yellow one in a pack. The orange one, tangerine-flavored, is also special. 

What about you? Do you like gumdrops? How are they called where you come from? Do you have a favorite flavor?