Marshmallow

<p>The <b >marshmallow</b> is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confection" title="Confection" class="mw-redirect" >confection</a> that, in its modern form, typically consists of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar" title="Sugar" >sugar</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_syrup" title="Corn syrup" >corn syrup</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water" title="Water" >water</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin" title="Gelatin" >gelatin</a> that has been softened in hot water, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dextrose" title="Dextrose" class="mw-redirect" >dextrose</a>, vanilla flavorings, and sometimes coloring, whipped to a spongy consistency. Some marshmallow recipes call for egg whites.This confection is the modern version of a medicinal confection made from <i ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althaea_officinalis" title="Althaea officinalis" >Althaea officinalis</a></i>, the marshmallow plant.<sup id="cite_ref-C.26EN_0-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_note-C.26EN-0" >[1]</a></sup>

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<h2 >Production history</h2>

<p >The marshmallow probably first came into being as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinal" title="Medicinal" class="mw-redirect" >medicinal</a> substance, since the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucilage" title="Mucilage" >mucilaginous</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbal_extract" title="Herbal extract" >extracts</a> comes from the root of the marshmallow plant, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althaea_officinalis" title="Althaea officinalis" >Althaea officinalis</a></i>, which were used as a remedy for sore throats. Concoctions of other parts of the marshmallow plant had medical uses as well.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohde_1-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_note-Rohde-1" >[2]</a></sup> The root has been used since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptians" title="Egyptians" >Egyptian</a> antiquity in a honey-sweetened confection useful in the treatment of sore throat.<sup id="cite_ref-C.26EN_0-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_note-C.26EN-0" >[1]</a></sup> The later French version of the recipe, called <i>pâte de guimauve</i> (or "guimauve" for short), included an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_white" title="Egg white" >egg white</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meringue" title="Meringue" >meringue</a> and was often flavored with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_water" title="Rose water" >rose water</a>. <i>Pâte de guimauve</i> more closely resembles contemporary commercially available marshmallows, which no longer contain any marshmallow plant.

The use of marshmallow to make a candy dates back to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt" title="Ancient Egypt" >ancient Egypt</a>, where the recipe called for extracting sap from the plant and mixing it with nuts and honey. Another pre-modern recipe uses the pith of the marshmallow plant, rather than the sap. The stem was peeled back to reveal the soft and spongy pith, which was boiled in sugar syrup and dried to produce a soft, chewy confection.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohde_1-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_note-Rohde-1" >[2]</a></sup> Candymakers in early 19th century France made the innovation of whipping up the marshmallow sap and sweetening it, to make a confection similar to modern marshmallow. The confection was made locally, however, by the owners of small candy stores. They would extract the sap from the mallow plant's root, and whip it themselves. The candy was very popular, but its manufacture was labor-intensive. In the late 19th century, French manufacturers devised a way to get around this by using egg whites or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin" title="Gelatin" >gelatin</a>, combined with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_corn_starch" title="Modified corn starch" class="mw-redirect" >modified corn starch</a>, to create the chewy base. This avoided the laborious extraction process, but it did require industrial methods to combine the gelatin and corn starch in the right way.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohde_1-2" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_note-Rohde-1" >[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Candy_2-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_note-Candy-2" >[3]</a></sup>Also related are the German confectionery called Schaumkuss.

Another milestone in the development of the modern marshmallow was the extrusion process by the American Alex Doumak in 1948. This invention allowed marshmallows to be manufactured in a fully automated way. The method produced the cylindrical shape that are now associated with marshmallows. The process involves running the ingredients through tubes and then extruding the finished product as a soft cylinder, which is then cut into sections and rolled in a mixture of finely powdered cornstarch and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdered_sugar" title="Powdered sugar" >confectioner's sugar</a>. Doumak founded the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doumak" title="Doumak" >Doumak company</a> in 1961 on the strength of his patent on this process.<sup id="cite_ref-Candy_2-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_note-Candy-2" >[3]</a></sup>

Marshmallows, like most candies, are sweetened with sucrose. They are currently prepared by aeration of mixtures of sucrose and proteins to a final density of about 0.5 g/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milliliter" title="Milliliter" class="mw-redirect" >mL</a>. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscosity" title="Viscosity" >viscosity</a> of the mixture, owing to the proteins, gelatin or egg albumin, prevents collapse of the air-filled cells.<sup id="cite_ref-Ullmann_3-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_note-Ullmann-3" >[4]</a></sup></p>

<h2 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marshmallow&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Brands" >edit</a>]Brands</h2>

<p >Most of the current brands of commercially available marshmallows in the United States are made and copacked by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraft_Foods" title="Kraft Foods" >Kraft Foods</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doumak" title="Doumak" >Doumak, Inc</a>, under such names as Jet-Puffed, Campfire, Kidd and numerous "private label" store brands.<sup class="Template-Fact" >[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" >citation needed</a></i>]</sup> Marshmallows are used in<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%27more" title="S'more" >S'mores</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate-coated_marshmallow_treats#Mallomars" title="Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats" >Mallomars</a> and other chocolate-coated treats, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peeps" title="Peeps" >Peeps</a>, Whippets and other sweets, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_Krispies_treat" title="Rice Krispies treat" class="mw-redirect" >Rice Krispies treats</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cream" title="Ice cream" >ice cream</a> flavors such as<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_road_ice_cream" title="Rocky road ice cream" class="mw-redirect" >Rocky Road</a>, as a topping for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_chocolate" title="Hot chocolate" >hot chocolate</a>, candied <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)" title="Yam (vegetable)" >yams</a>, and in several other foodstuffs.

Marshmallows are manufactured in the United Kingdom by, amongst others, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haribo" title="Haribo" >Haribo</a>, Barrett, Princess, and numerous 'non' brand companies including shops and supermarkets.<sup class="Template-Fact" >[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" >citation needed</a></i>]</sup>

Marshmallows are popular in Asia, particularly in the previous colonies of the UK.<sup class="Template-Fact" >[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" >citation needed</a></i>]</sup> One of the largest suppliers in Asia is Erko Foods, based in China. The company exports to 56 countries. Erko is also the market leader in the Middle East, where their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halal" title="Halal" >Halal</a> marshmallow is sold.</p>

<h2 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marshmallow&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Roasted marshmallows" >edit</a>]Roasted marshmallows</h2>

A marshmallow that has been roasted over an open flame.</div>

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<p >A popular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camping" title="Camping" >camping</a> or backyard tradition is the roasting or toasting of marshmallows over a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campfire" title="Campfire" >campfire</a>or other open flame.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_note-4" >[5]</a></sup> A marshmallow is placed on the end of a stick or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skewer" title="Skewer" >skewer</a> and held carefully over the fire. This creates a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caramelization" title="Caramelization" >caramelized</a> outer skin with a liquid, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melting" title="Melting" >molten</a> layer underneath. According to individual preference, the marshmallows are heated to various degrees—from gently toasted to a<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustion" title="Combustion" >charred</a> outer layer. The roasted marshmallow can either be eaten whole or the outer layer can be<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating" title="Eating" >consumed</a> separately and the rest of the marshmallow toasted again.

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%27more" title="S'more" >S'mores</a> are made by placing a toasted marshmallow on a slice of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate" title="Chocolate" >chocolate</a> which is then placed between two <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_cracker" title="Graham cracker" >graham crackers</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_note-5" >[6]</a></sup></p>

<h2 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marshmallow&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Dietary preferences" >edit</a>]Dietary preferences</h2>

<p >The traditional marshmallow recipe uses powdered marshmallow root, which may be difficult to obtain. Most commercially manufactured marshmallows instead use <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin" title="Gelatin" >gelatin</a> in their manufacture, which <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism" title="Vegetarianism" >vegetarians</a> avoid, as it is derived from animal <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawhide_(textile)" title="Rawhide (textile)" >hides</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone" title="Bone" >bones</a>. Marshmallows are also generally considered not to be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher" title="Kosher" class="mw-redirect" >kosher</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halal" title="Halal" >halal</a> unless their gelatin is derived from kosher or halal animals, or the marshmallows are vegetarian. An alternative for vegetarians is to use substitute non-meat gelling agents such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agar" title="Agar" >agar</a> for gelatin.

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmallow_creme" title="Marshmallow creme" >Marshmallow creme</a> and other less firm marshmallow products generally contain little or no gelatin, which mainly serves to allow the familiar marshmallow <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confection" title="Confection" class="mw-redirect" >confection</a> to retain its shape. They generally use <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_white" title="Egg white" >egg whites</a> instead. Non-gelatin versions of this product may be consumed by<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovo_vegetarianism" title="Ovo vegetarianism" >ovo vegetarians</a>. Several brands of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan" title="Vegan" class="mw-redirect" >vegan</a> marshmallows and marshmallow fluff exist.</p>

<ul >

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate-coated_marshmallow_treats" title="Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats" >Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chubby_Bunny" title="Chubby Bunny" class="mw-redirect" >Chubby Bunny</a>, children's game involving marshmallows</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmallow_creme" title="Marshmallow creme" >Marshmallow creme</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stay_Puft_Marshmallow_Man" title="Stay Puft Marshmallow Man" >Stay Puft Marshmallow Man</a></li>

</ul>

<h2 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marshmallow&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: References" >edit</a>]References</h2>

<li id="cite_note-C.26EN-0" >^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_ref-C.26EN_0-0" ><sup ><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_ref-C.26EN_0-1" ><sup ><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> Petkewich, Rachel (2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/84/8416marshmallows.html" >"What's that stuff? Marshmallow"</a>. <i>Chemical & Engineering News</i> <b>84</b> (16): 41. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" title="Digital object identifier" >doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1021%2Fcen-v084n011.p041" >10.1021/cen-v084n011.p041</a>. Retrieved 2008-02-10.</li>

<li id="cite_note-Rohde-1" >^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_ref-Rohde_1-0" ><sup ><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_ref-Rohde_1-1" ><sup ><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_ref-Rohde_1-2" ><sup ><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> Rohde, Eleanour Sinclair; A garden of Herbs, Hale Cushman & Flint, 1936</li>

<li id="cite_note-Candy-2" >^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_ref-Candy_2-0" ><sup ><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_ref-Candy_2-1" ><sup ><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.candyusa.com/Candy/CandyType.cfm?ItemNumber=932&navItemNumber=528" >The history of marshmallows</a> Candy USA!</li>

<li id="cite_note-Ullmann-3" ><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_ref-Ullmann_3-0" >^{</a></b>&nbsp};Terry Richardson, Geert Andersen, "Confectionery" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2005 Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" title="Digital object identifier" >doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2F14356007.a07+411" >10.1002/14356007.a07 411</a></li>

<li id="cite_note-4" ><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_ref-4" >^{</a></b> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.campfiremarshmallows.com/about/history-of-campfire-marshmallows/" >History of Campfire Marshmallows</a></li>

<li id="cite_note-5" ><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow#cite_ref-5" >^{</a></b> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/s%27more" >Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary</a></li>

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<h2 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marshmallow&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: External links" >edit</a>]External links</h2>

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<td class="mbox-text" >Look up <i><b><a class="external text" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/marshmallow" >marshmallow</a></b></i> in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.</td>

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<td class="mbox-text" >Wikimedia Commons has media related to: <i><b><a class="external text" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Marshmallows" >Marshmallows</a></b></i></td>

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<ul >

<li ><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Marshmallows" >How To Make Your Own Marshmallows</a></li>

<li ><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://home.howstuffworks.com/question128.htm" >The Marshmallow Explained</a> at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HowStuffWorks.com" title="HowStuffWorks.com" class="mw-redirect" >HowStuffWorks.com</a></li>

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Source:  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmellow</a></p>