The story of Marshmallow, its uses and easy homemade recipe | The Times of India (2024)

Marshmallow is a sweet which got its name from the mallow plant. It is a spongy confectionery that is usually made from three ingredients that are sugar, water and gelatin. Some recipes also include egg whites and food colourings along with the mentioned basic ingredients. Marshmallows can be eaten alone as well but are often used as an ingredient in baking and is popularly also paired with hot chocolate. ‘Althaea offocinalis’ or the mallow plant from which marshmallow gets its name from grows typically in Europe, Asia and North Africa. It is believed that the first marshmallows were not as refined and soft as those prepared now but it was made by boiling the pulp of the plant’s root along with honey till the mixture became thick. The root of this plant also has some medicinal properties and has the ability to cure sore throat and wounds. The Egyptians were the first ones to use the plant for its medicinal properties.

Marshmallows became popular in France in the 1800’s where they were known as ‘Pate de Guimauve’. This sweet candy was made in France by whipping together egg whites, sugar, water and dried roots of the mallow plant. The whole process of preparing the sweet and drying it at least took a day or two. Soon the marshmallow makers at France decided to use gelatin in their recipes. Around 1900’s the starch mogul system came into play where tray molds with cavities were filled with marshmallow mixture and were left to cool. After this system was introduced, mass production of marshmallows began in the United States. Furthermore, in the year 1956, Alex Doumac who was a Greek confectioner, introduced the extrusion process in which the whipped mixture was made to run through tubes. The marshmallow strings or ropes that came out of the tubes were cut and left to cool.

1. In United States, 30th August is marked as National Toasted Marshmallow Day.

2. Ligonier, Noble County, Indiana is the marshmallow capital of the world.

3. The marshmallow market is said to see a prominent growth by the year 2025.

4. Some types of marshmallows are cereal treat marshmallows, marshmallow fudge and vegetarian marshmallows.

1. Take a greased baking tray and sprinkle ½ of icing sugar on it. Dissolve gelatin in a cup of water and keep aside.

2. In a pan, add water, corn syrup and sugar and cook on low flame till the sugar doesn’t dissolve and the mixture comes to a boil. Keep stirring in between.

3. Now cook the mixture without covering it to form a hard consistency. You can drop a little syrup in cold water and check whether it has become firm or not.

4. In a large bowl, add the sugar mixture and the gelatin and beat till fluffy. Pour the mixture to the greased tray with icing sugar and refrigerate overnight.

5. After refrigerating, sprinkle the remaining icing sugar and cut the marshmallows into cubes and store.