Marshmallow Trivia | 30 facts about the candy

Except of a popular artist, marshmallow is also a really delicious (yet full of calories) candy.

Let’s find out more about it!

1. Marshmallow is a type of confectionery.
2. It is typically made from sugar, water and gelatin whipped to a solid but soft consistency.
3. It is used as a filling in baking, or normally molded into shapes and coated with corn starch.
4. The sugar confection is inspired by a historical medicinal confection made from Althaea officinalis.
5. This is the marsh-mallow plant.
6. The word “marshmallow” comes from the mallow plant species (Althaea officinalis), a herb native to parts of Europe, North Africa, and Asia which grows in marshes and other damp areas.
7. The plant’s stem and leaves are fleshy and its white flower has five petals.
8. It is not known exactly when marshmallows were invented, but their history goes back as early as 2000 BCE.
9. Ancient Egyptians were said to be the first to make and use the root of the plant to soothe coughs and sore throats, and to heal wounds.
10. The first marshmallows were prepared by boiling pieces of root pulp with honey until thick.
11. Once thickened, the mixture was strained, cooled, and then used as intended.
12. Whether used for candy or medicine, the manufacture of marshmallows was limited to a small scale.
13. In the early to mid-1800s, the marshmallow had made its way to France where confectioners augmented the plant’s traditional medicinal value with indulgent ingredients utilized by the Egyptians.
14. Owners of small candy stores would whip the sap from the mallow root into a fluffy candy mold.
15. This candy, called Pâte de Guimauve, was a spongy-soft dessert made from whipping dried marshmallow roots with sugar, water, and egg whites.
16. It was sold in bar form as a lozenge.
17. Drying and preparing of the marshmallow took one to two days before the final product could be produced.
18. In the late 1800s, candy makers started looking for a new process, and discovered the starch mogul system, in which trays of modified corn starch had a mold firmly pushed down in them to create cavities within the starch. The cavities were then filled with the whipped marshmallow sap mixture, and allowed to cool or harden.
19. At the same time, candy makers began to replace the mallow root with gelatin which created a stable form of marshmallow.
20. By the early 1900s, thanks to the starch mogul system, marshmallows were introduced to the United States and available for mass consumption. They were sold in tins as penny candy, and were soon used in a variety of food recipes like banana fluff, lime mallow sponge, and tutti frutti.
21. In 1956, Alex Doumak patented the extrusion process which involved running marshmallow ingredients through tubes. The tubes created a long rope of marshmallow mixture, and were then set out to cool.
22. The ingredients are then cut into equal pieces, and packaged.
23. Modern marshmallow manufacturing is highly automated, and has been since the early 1950s when the extrusion process was first developed.
24. Numerous improvements and advancements allow for the production of thousands of pounds of marshmallow a day.
25. Today, the marshmallow typically consists of four ingredients: sugar, water, air, and a whipping agent (usually a protein). The type of sugar and whipping agent varies depending on desired characteristics. Each ingredient plays a specific role in the final product.
26. Every 100 grams of marshmallows contain around 318 calories.
27. If each marshmallow piece is typically 29 grams, then a typical serving size is four pieces.
28. A whopping 93.10 kg is the weight of the largest marshmallow in the world. Two men from the UK made it.
29. Marshmallows help in decreasing blood sugar.
30. Parts of the mallow plant work as medicine. They help heal certain ailments.