Could you tell me the story of marshmallows?

[Pongi]

Last night I took part in an Italian-American dinner party and had marshmallows for the first time in my life. They have been a surprise since, although I had already heard about them many times, I hadn't the slightest idea of WHAT they could really be!
The reason (that's probably very funny for you Americans) is that we Italians know marshmallows exclusively from the Schulz's Peanuts, where you can see Charlie Brown & co. sitting in front of a fire, roasting those mysterious round guys skewered on small sticks...considering that they complain if marshmallows melt too much, obviously they cannot be meat, fish or vegetables...but what else?
More, the translation doesn't help us! Since we Italians don't have anything of the sort, the translator couldn't keep the same name, which doesn't make sense for us...so, for some unknown reason, he opted for an invented word: "TOFFOLETTE".
The problem is that this word reminds us the toffee candies (also known here as "caramelle mou") which makes us totally puzzled as we cannot understand the reason why someone, free from mental insanity, should ROAST a candy on a fire!
Well...a new light is now in my mind, but I'm very curious about them! They're so different from anything we use to have that they could have fallen from Mars (and, to tell the truth, it seems to me that they could just be the favourite food of E.T. )
So, I have a lot of questions!

1)WHO invented them, and when? I can imagine sometime between 1940 and 1950 - the golden era of artificial food- not afterwards as they're in the Peanuts from the beginning, but maybe I'm wrong....
2)HOW are they made? I mean I have read the ingredients, but the procedure to get such a peculiar texture (that reminds to me lots of other things, none of which is edible) seems a mystery!
3)WHAT is the reason of their success...or, on the other hand, the reason why this success remained exclusively American, since (as far as I know) they have never crossed the ocean to settle in Europe as many other typically American food items.

Thanks to the food historian who will enlighten me!

Pongi

[Kimmie]

1) WHO invented them and when?

Marshmallow candy dates back to ancient Egypt where it was a honey-based candy flavored and thickened with the sap of the root of the Marsh-Mallow plant (althea officinalis). Marsh-Mallow grows in salt marshes and on banks near large bodies of water. It is common in the eastern United States. Until the mid 1800's, marshmallow candy was made using the sap of the Marsh-Mallow plant.

Nineteenth century doctors extracted juice from the marsh mallow plant's roots and cooked it with egg whites and sugar, then whipped the mixture into a foamy meringue that later hardened, creating a medicinal candy used to soothe children's sore throats. Eventually, advanced manufacturing processes and improved texturing agents eliminated the need for the gooey root juice altogether. Unfortunately, that eliminated the confection's healing properties as a cough suppressant, immune system booster and wound healer.

2) HOW are they made?

Gelatin replaces the sap in the modern recipes.
Today's marshmallows are a mixture of corn syrup or sugar, gelatin, gum arabic and flavoring.

Extracts from:
Nabisco Recipes - About Jet-Puffed Marshmallows History

"The candy makers needed to find a new, faster way of making marshmallows. As a result, the "starch mogul" system was developed in the late 1800s. Rather than making marshmallows by hand, the new system let candy makers create marshmallows in molds made of modified cornstarch (like jelly beans, gummies and candy corn are made today). At about the same time, mallow root was replaced by gelatin, providing marshmallows with their "stable" form...

...In 1948, Alex Doumak, a marshmallow manufacturer, began experimenting with different methods of marshmallow making. Doumak was looking for ways to speed up production and discovered the "extrusion process", which revolutionized marshmallow production. Now, marshmallows can be made by piping the fluffy mixture through long tubes and cutting its tubular shape into equal pieces.

There is a very cool cookbook called Better than Store Bought that is now out of print but still available in used book stores and libraries. It contains the following recipe for making your own marshmallows:

· 1/4 cup cornstarch
· 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
· 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
· 1/3 cup water
· 2/3 cup granulated sugar
· 1/2 cup light corn syrup
· Pinch of salt
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift the cornstarch and confectioners sugar into a bowl. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch square baking pan and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch-and-sugar mixture into it. Tilt the pan to coat the sides and the bottom. Leave any excess in the pan.
Sprinkle the gelatin into the water in a small saucepan and let soak for five minutes. Add the granulated sugar and stir over low heat until the gelatin and sugar dissolve.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the gelatin mixture, corn syrup, salt and vanilla and beat for 15 minutes on high speed, until peaks form.

Spread the fluffy mixture in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Leave for two hours or until set.

With a wet knife, cut the marshmallow mixture into quarters and loosen around the edges. Sprinkle the remaining cornstarch-and-sugar mixture on a baking sheet and invert the marshmallow blocks onto it. Cut each quarter into nine pieces and roll each one in the starch and sugar.

Place the marshmallows on a cake rack covered with paper towels and let them stand over night to dry the surface slightly. Store airtight; the marshmallows will keep for a month.

The ingredients in my own recipe are a little different:

3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
1/4 light corn syrup
3 tablespoons of gelatin
6 egg whites
confectioner's sugar
corn starch

Dissolve the sugar and the corn syrup in the water and cook until it reaches 120 degrees Celcius. Meanwhile, dissolve the gelatin in a little water.

When the syrup reaches 117 degrees C, start whipping the egg whites to soft peaks using a mixer.

When the syrup reaches 120 degrees C, remove from the flame, mix in the gelatin and whisk into the egg whites. Continue to whisk for 15 minutes.

Flavour as desired (lemon, vanilla, maple, cardamom, cinnamon, tarragon, rose water, etc.)

Line a jelly-roll pan with a buttered parchment paper and pour the marshmallow mixture, being careful to not spread it too much.

Let stand 4 hours at room temperature.

Mix equal parts of confectioner's sugar and corn starch and cover the marshmallows, then cut into squares.

3)WHAT is the reason of their success...or, on the other hand, the reason why this success remained exclusively American, since (as far as I know) they have never crossed the ocean to settle in Europe as many other typically American food items.

Modern marshmallow confections were first made in France around 1850. This first method of manufacture was expensive and slow because it involved the casting and molding of each marshmallow.

By 1900, marshmallows were available for mass consumption, and they were sold in tins as penny candy. Mass production of marshmallows became possible with the invention of the starch mogul system of manufacture in the late 19th century...

In 1955, there were nearly 35 manufacturers of marshmallows in the United States. About this time, Alex Doumak, of Doumak, Inc., patented a new manufacturing method called the extrusion process. This invention changed the history of marshmallow production and is still used today. It now only takes 60 minutes to produce a marshmallow. Today, there are only three manufacturers of marshmallows in the United States, Favorite Brands International (Kraft marshmallows), Doumak, Inc. and Kidded & Company."


Click here for more at http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/kid/food...l#marshmallows

My reason for loving them: They're just fun to eat, especially roasted at the end of a stick.

[Pongi]

WOW...what a great amount of info!
Thanks Kimmie
You're also stimulating me to try making marshmallows at home!
Only a "technical" question more: I'm not sure of what's confectioner sugar, maybe icing sugar?
Thanks again!

Pongi

[Kimmie]

Pongi,

Confectioners' sugar is powdered sugar or icing sugar.

Homemade marshmallows are pretty easy to make. If you do make them, please post your results.

[cape chef]

Yes Pongi,
Icing sugar is what you want.

This is a funny thread, I never thought in a million years about the history of the marshmallow
I remember when I was a young boy taking graham crakers and chocolate and making a sandwich with the toasted marshmallow,ofcourse this is a "smore"yum

I decided to look in a couple of my books,this is from the Oxford companion to food page 481
I quote
"marshmallow the name of both a plant and a confection. The former,Althaea officinalis ,a common plant in Europe and Asia,is related to the common mallow but looks more like a hollyhock.Although it's leaves are edible,the chief use of the plant lies in it's roots,which yield a mucilaginous substance which is traditional basis for the sweet confection known as marshmallow but has been almost entirely replaced by Gum Arabic

The sweet confection is made from syrup cooked to the hard ball stage,then combined with gelatin or gum aribic solution,often with coloring and flavorings added(Mint,strawberry,orange flower water ETC) and whisked into beaten egg whites. The mixture,dusted with icing sugar,is left to set,then cut into cubes or rounds.

A Marshmallow has a distinctively chewy texture. It is a versitile substance,which displayed it's versatility to maximun(some would say excessive) extent in the USA in the 1930s to 1960s,when it occurred suprisingly often in recipe books,for example as an ingredient in salads fillings and toppings for cakes and desserts,and as toasted marshmallow,crisp outside and melting soft within.
A similar product Pate de quimauve (flavored with rose or vanilla),is made in France"

Pongi, this was fun
Never did I think I would be looking up the history of a Marshmallow

[Athenaeus]

Pongi, this is my version of the story :

"The history of the marshmallow quite interesting. Did you know this confection (albeit in a very different form) dates back to Ancient times? The very first "marsh mallows" were plants [Althaea officinalis] indigenous to Europe and Asia. The flowers were favored by the Ancient Greeks and Romans because they were considered to be healthful. Platina in his De Honesta Voluptuate et Valetudine [On Right Pleasure and Good Health] (an Italian cookery text published in the late 15th Century) devotes Book IV, Section 8 to "On the Seasoning of Mallow," in which he outlines the botanical history and healing properties of this particular plant. Marshmallows, progenitor of the fluffy white confection we eat today [which, by the way contains NO marsh mallow], originated in France sometime during the middle of the nineteenth century.

"Marshmallows are one of the earliest confections know to humankind. Today's marshmallows come in many forms, from solid...to semi-liquid---to the creme-like or as an ice cream topping.

Originally...marshmallows were made from the rood sap of the marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis) plant. It is a genus of herb that is native to parts of Europe, north Africa, and Asia. Marsh mallows grow in marshes and other damp areas...The first marshmallows were made by boiling pieces of the marsh mallow root pulp with sugar until it thickened. After is had thickened, the mixture was strained and cooled. As far back as 2000BC, Egyptians combined the marsh mallow root with hone. The candy was reserved for gods and royalty.

Modern marshmallow confections were first made in France around 1850. This first method of manufacture was expensive and slow because it involved the casting and molding of each marshmallow. French candy makers used the mallow root sap as a binding agent for the egg whites, corn syrup, and water. The fluffy mixture was heated and poured into the corn starch in small molds, forming the marshmallows. At this time, marshmallows were still not mass manufactured. Instead, they were made by confectioners in small stores or candy companies.

By 1900, marshmallows were available for mass consumption, and they were sold in tins as penny candy. Mass production of marshmallows became possible with the invention of the starch mogul system of manufacture in the late 19th century...

In 1955, there were nearly 35 manufacturers of marshmallows in the United States. About this time, Alex Doumak, of Doumak, Inc., patented a new manufacturing method called the extrusion process. This invention changed the history of marshmallow production and is still used today. It now only takes 60 minutes to produce a marshmallow. Today, there are only three manufacturers of marshmallows in the United States, Favorite Brands International (Kraft marshmallows), Doumak, Inc. and Kidded & Company."

A sidebar to the information contained in this books (written by Donna R. Bearden) adds: "In the early 20th century, marshmallows were considered a child's confection, dispensed as penny candy at general stores along with licorice whips and peppermint drops. But through a fortuitous connection with other popular foods and some clever marketing, marshmallows would soon become a staple ingredient at pot-luck dinners, family get-togethers, and even elegant parties....A perusal through twentieth-century cookbooks and recipe booklets reveals that marshmallows usually served as an ingredient in cakes, candies, and desserts....Perhaps the greatest distinction for marshmallows occurred as a result of their advantageous connection with gelatin salads and desserts, which rose in popularity during the 1920s and 1930s. Recipe booklets for Jell-O and Knox Gelatin from that time include recipes that called for marshmallows on almost every page--recipes like banana fluff, lime mallow sponge, cocoa tutti frutti, and paradise pudding."


How Products are Made Volume 3, Krapp & Longe, editors (pages 276-277):

[Pongi]

Thanks everybody!
The mystery is now cleared up...

Althaea Officinalis is what we call "Malva"...but I didn't know that it could be used for something more than a decoction for sore throat

CC, I can imagine marshmallow sandwiches, but SALADS? Do you mean sweet or savoury salads? Are marshmallows supposed to be added whole to the other ingredients, or melted and mixed with the dressing?

In any case, even if their ancestors come from this side of the ocean and we have of course lots of candies and sweets containing jelly, I had never seen something like that before!

Curiously, the only Italian food that reminds me a bit of marshmallows isn't a sweet, but a cheese, the "Tomino da Piastra". Probably you know what's a "Toma"...a typical Piemontese cheese that can be made with cow or goat milk. There is a small type of Toma, round and about 3 inches in diameter, which is exclusively made to be grilled. Although you use a plate and not a skew, the procedure is almost the same: you must roast it until crispy outside and melted inside and then have it still hot, alone or spreaded on bread or crackers. Also the required skill is the same - you must be careful to roast it without burning or breaking the surface, knowing exactly when it's completely melted inside and taking it away from the heat just before the outburst...
Apart from that, there are no more similarities with marshmallows

Pongi

[ShawtyCat]

Yes CC,

I too would like to know how you use marshmallows in a salad? of all things. I am going to be looking at my poor lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers very differently now.

Maybe a fruit salad? That makes more sense.

Jodi

Ahhh....I now have a way to get my kids to eat their fruit. They love marshmallows.

[cape chef]

Scary stuff..lol

remember Ambrosia salad?
Fruit, marshmallows and coconut....and some other stuff

[Mezzaluna]

Marshmallows... we used to debate whether they should be gently roasted to a golden brown, or allowed to catch fire and burn to a crispy black! I suppose you could drink white wine with the golden ones, and red with the burnt ones....

Besides being used in gelatin and sweet salads usually containing fruit, they are frequently used to stud the top of a sweet potato casserole.

When microwave ovens were first widely available in the U.S., one company used to put marshmallows in the oven to demonstrate how the invisible energy waves could cook food. The marshmallow would expand dramatically and rapidly.

[ShawtyCat]

Speaking of microwave ovens and marshmallows.........I still put a few marshmallows over potatoe chips and give em a twirl throught the microwave until the marshmallows melt a little. Ive been eating this since I was in elementary school. Just a weird food thing I have.