What Classic American Dessert Is Made From Animal Skin and Bones?

Jell-O gelatin is basically purified glue. They are both made from the same stuff - boiled animal hooves, bones, and hides. Gelatin is just a little more refined. Since the seventeenth century, people have been boiling down calves hooves to make jelly. After boiling, the liquid was strained, allowed to sit for a day, skimmed of fat, sweetened, flavored, and set in molds. Powdered gelatin had been around since the 1840s, but it wasn't until Charles B. Knox of Johnston, New York, packaged it in easy-to-use form in the 1890s that gelatin desserts started to catch on.

Jell-O is about 85% sugar, 10 percent gelatin, and 5 percent artificial flavors. This does nothing to help sales among today's health-conscious consumer.