Marshmallow were originally medicine, despite their modern reputation as the fluffiest of foods and the emptiest of calories.
Botanical name, Althaea is derived from the Greek, althe which means ‘to cure’. The use of marshmallow originated in traditional Greek medicine and later spread to Arabian and Indian Ayurvedic medicine.
It was ancient Egyptians who are the first documented consumers of marshmallow. 4000 years ago, the Egyptian enjoyed a treat made from the mallow plant which oddly enough grew in the marshes of Egypt.
Egyptians would mix together the mucilaginous sap from the root of the marsh mallow with sweeteners, probably honey; the resulting confection was deemed worthy of pharaohs and even the gods themselves.
It was used in Persian to reduce inflammation in teething babies, and the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne (A.D 800-814) insisted that it be planted throughout his kingdom.
The word mallow can refer to any a variety of plants of the genus Malva. Mallow comes from Old English mealwe, possibly influenced in its development by Old French malve. Both English and Old French words ultimately descend from Latin malva, mallow.
By 1917, cookbook were calling for marshmallows as essential ingredients.
In the early 1920s, Red Seal Marshmallow was advertised to manufacture as a product that ‘improves ice cream, ices and sherbet and gives added smoothness’.
In 1955 marshmallow manufacturers made a great leap forward in efficiency and economy when Alex Doumakes patented a method for extruding the marshmallow foam through a tube into a long rope and the n cutting it into uniform pieces.
Soon commercially made marshmallows were popping up for home use in everything from salads to gelatin desserts and of course ice creams.
History of marshmallow
