Which came first the Peep or the Egg?

Well as it turns out the egg, the deviled egg that is. The preparation of boiling an egg, cutting it in half and refilling the yolk cavity with a spicy mixture of yolk, and mustard can be traced back to ancient Rome. The term ‘deviled’ was first put to print in 1786 in reference to this particular egg preparation. A time when other ‘deviled’ foods implied something prepared in a spicy manner. In the U.S. we mostly prepare deviled eggs around Easter. They are more commonly made throughout the year in Europe especially in the warm summer months. Currently chef’s in the U.S. have beamed their creative powers into making unique yolk mixtures by adding more upscale ingredients such as lobster, crab, smoked salmon, caviar, wasabi or mushrooms.

Peeps are a more recent addition to the Easter holiday table. In 1953 Just Born, a Russian immigrant, acquired the Rodda Candy Company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where small yellow marshmallow chicks were being made by hand. Mr. Born transformed this timely process and began mechanically mass producing the chicks. Peeps are made from marshmallow, corn syrup, gelatin, and wax. In the recent past the Peep product line has expanded to include other shapes and colors that are appropriate for any Holiday season.

While those two Easter foods will draw most of our attention come Sunday we will also have to suffer through the Baked Ham with pineapple and maraschino cherries toothpick’d into it as well as the crappy chocolate Easter Bunny who in a sadistic manner everyone who eats it will contemplate, “Do I bite off the feet first or just go for the head?”