Ginger Ale Adds Snap, Sparkle, And Pop To Your Jell-O Salad
Every region has a special food dish or two that is important to its culture. For the Midwest, it is Jell-O salad. Ever heard of it? The gelatin-based dishes have origins that date back to the Middle Ages, when it once represented wealth and power.
The origin of the fizzy Jell-O salad
Just because this may be your first time learning about fizzy Jell-O, does not mean it lacks a rich history. The 7-Up company, invented in the Midwest in the 1920s, reportedly released a recipe book to promote its product that featured a recipe for 7-Up salad. The result of the recipe is simply described as a "green gelatin-based dessert." It is unclear what flavor the gelatin was, as at the time Jell-O had not yet launched its lime flavor. That didn't come until the 1930s. Ultimately, 7-Up Jell-O salad became known as a blend of lime-flavored gelatin and 7-Up soda.
Given the complementary nature of both flavors, it results in an unforgettable dessert. One person looked back at the nostalgic recipe on Reddit, sharing their grandmother's recipe and noting that it was a 1950s-style salad. The old-fashioned recipe contained lemon Jell-O, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, crushed pineapple, 7-Up, vanilla, sugar, and chopped pecans. They wrote that the soda gave it "a zippy kick."
While 7-Up is a delicious soda to choose, ginger ale brings a sharp herbal snap that complements any fruit you would add to the salad mix. If the ginger ale-spiked dessert gets you started down a rabbit hole, there is plenty of room to get experimental. Try adding other carbonated beverages such as a seltzer for a low-sugar, plain taste that will not detract from the flavored Jell-O and fruit selection. You can use other sodas like Coke or Diet Coke, Sunkist Orange Soda, or root beer with new flavors of Jell-O.