Jelly snacks are sweets set with a gelling agent, which gives them a soft, springy or chewy bite. The gelling agent shapes both the texture and the dietary notes. Gelatin, made from animal collagen (usually pork or beef), gives a bouncy chew and is not vegetarian; carrageenan from red seaweed and konjac from the konjac root give a firmer, plant-based set common in Asian jellies.
SeekSnack has reviewed Jolly Bears, fruit-flavoured gelatin bears from Thailand, Sunsu’s carrageenan and konjac jellies, and Cororo Grape Jelly, a juicy grape gummy from Japan’s UHA Mikakuto.
Firm konjac jellies often carry a warning to chew them well, especially for young children and older people, because the jelly does not dissolve quickly in the mouth.
