Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Top Ten Words of Summer


# 2 Marshmellow


A confection with an exotic past.

The marshmallow gets its name from the mallow plant that grows in marshes.

In ancient times, sap from the root of that plant was used to make medicinal syrup and ointment. Eventually, that same sap became a source of candy.

Today's supermarket marshmallow is untouched by root sap. It's made from corn syrup, gelatin, egg whites, and sugar.

3 comments:

H said...

Ah, the mallow.

My real question is: which part of that ingredient list makes the mallow plump up when roasted over an open camp fire?

Bill said...

Romantic explanation: your love and admiration for the mallow makes it swell with pride; Scientific explanation: Air is forced into the mallow at creation, expanding as it heats up, forcing the size of the mallow to increase. It's your call...

Monique said...

Aww Bill...I like your romantic explanation. :)