We stuff them in smores, roast them over campfires and frequently melt them together with Rice krispies to make oven baked squares. Maybe we've even seen them take center stage in some culinary science experiments at flashy restaurants or lounges.
We're talking, of course, about marshmallows. Those sweet, soft, fluffy and spongy treats that kids (and the kids inside us) love.
So what are marshmallows anyway?
Despite looking like some sort of complex and overly processed treat, modern marshmallows are made from surprisingly few ingredients. Typically, a marshmallow is made from sugar, water, and gelatin. However, recipes often also include corn syrup for sweetness, vanilla extract for added flavour, frothed egg whites instead of the gelatin, and cornstarch for the texture.
Surprisingly, marshmallows are hardly a modern invention, and were likely enjoyed in some variety or another for hundreds of years across the globe. There are stories of similar marshmallow-like treats being made by Egyptians as much as four thousand years ago, as well as other varieties appearing and becoming popular in Early-Modern France.
The ones we know of today began appearing around 1900 in the USA when candy-makers were discovering new techniques to make treats that they could fill with a fluffy interior (as well as finding ways to shape gummy bears). The initial process was lengthy and labour intensive, however, by the 1940s, the Greek American confectioner Alex Doumak simplified things by refining a process called "extrusion" which let bakers create consistently shaped treats (and is the same process used to make some small hollowed-out pasta like macaroni).
As for the actual process of making marshmallows in large quantities, sugar, water and corn syrup are mixed in big kettles and then cooled before having gelatin added. Once all the ingredients are in place, air is then pumped in to give them their desired fluffiness.
Marshmallows can also be made at home in a relatively simple (if lengthy) process, but it does require the right tools and a careful attention to detail. Notably, cooking and cooling the syrup requires a steady hand and a thermometer, because at that point we’re getting into the territory of food chemistry. Once mixed and fluffed, you’ll need to place them in a non-stick pan and let them sit uncovered overnight as they set. After that, you can roll them into pipes and slice them to their desired size, or just keep them in the tray and cut into squares.
Neat, but what's up with the gelatin? Are marshmallows vegetarian?
Gelatin, as you've probably heard or suspected, is in fact made from animal products - namely, collagen, one of the proteins in connective tissue. This means that most varieties of marshmallows are neither vegan, nor vegetarian. However, there are substitutes for the gelatin, such as egg whites for vegetarians or agar (obtained from algae) for vegans. So if you’re vegetarian or vegan or thinking of making the switch, you might want to skip those big packs of marshmallows you’ll find at most grocery stores, and visit a smaller, specialized market for more suitable ones.
