Who doesn’t love marshmallows? They are sweet, delicious and the perfect companion to a campfire. But marshmallows weren’t always a candy, they were originally used as a medicine!
Here’s their story.
Marshmallows come from the sap of the ‘Mallow’ Plant that grows in marshes near large bodies of water. Hence their name after all: Marsh + Mallow = Marshmallow! (the article continues after the ad)
The first to use the plant to make candies were the ancient Egyptians over 2000 years ago who did so by using the mallow root. The candies were not for everyone though. Only their Gods, the nobles and the pharaohs were allowed to enjoy them. Common people were only using honey and fig in order to cure their sweet tooth.
The Romans and the Greeks also loved the Mallow plant and they believed that it could cure soar throats and pains. This belief carried on until the 16th century were marshmallow liquids were used as treatments for toothaches, coughs sore throats indigestion and diarrhoea.
It was the French who changed the use of the mallow plant from being a medicine to more of a candy. During the 1800’s they started cooking and whipping marshmallow sap with egg whites and corn syrup in order to give it to children with sore throats. The recipe was so tasty that people turned it into a treat.
And this is where the marshmallow as we know it today was born!
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Main Article Photo: www.mountainroseblog.com, pixel1 / Pixabay
Photoshop: I’m A Useless Info Junkie
Sources: History of Marshmallow |
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