Marshmallow Products

Marshmallow is an erect perennial that can grow to 3 or 4 feet tall with a strong tap root that is yellowish on the outside. The stem and leaves are covered in soft hairs, and the grayish-green leaves are rounded to triangular in shape with pointed and serrated edges. The flowers are five-petaled and either pale pink or white. The flowers give way to round flattish fruits known as “cheeses.”

Marshmallow is an African plant that is abundant in tropical regions and now grown in most countries in Europe from Denmark southward and around the world. It likes salt marshes, damp meadows or growing by the sea on tidal rivers.

Marshmallow has been used by the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Indian cultures as a medicine. It is mentioned in Homer’s the Iliad (written 2800 years ago). Ancient Egyptians used the soft, spongy pith of the plant boiled with honey to make chewy candy-like substance favored by the Pharaohs and nobility. This is the ancient beginnings of our modern day marshmallow candy.

The plant’s Latin name, Althaea, derives from the word “Althara” which comes from the Greek word for cure.

The Roman herbalist, Pliny said, “Whosoever shall take a spoonful of the Mallows shall that day be free from all diseases that may come to him.” The Romans consumed the boiled root that was creamed like butter as a culinary delicacy.

The French ate the young tops of marshmallow in salads as a kidney tonic and also whipped the sap into a fluffy confection. It has been used in Syria, as a food and during times of famine has been known to help keep rural poor populations alive.

The sweet treat also called marshmallow, was originally made from marshmallows. Today commercially made marshmallow uses gelatin instead.