When did this marshmallows business begin?  Who is behind it all?

Many people probably think that some clever marketing peeps created the marshmallow as a holiday ploy or as something extra you can drop into your hot chocolate in winter.

The fact is, Marshmallows go back quite a ways into history.

According to Wikipedia, the modern marshmallow has its origins in an ancient medicinal confection that was made from the Althaea officinalis, otherwise known as the marsh-mallow plant.

The fun began when the Egyptians were building all those big stone monuments, and they needed something sticky to hold the stones together.  They also needed something sweet to eat.  The result? Marshmallows!  Not really – those stones probably held together on their own, but they did want something besides honey to enjoy as a confectionery delight, and thus was born the marshmallow from sap and root of marsh-mallow (the plant).

Something else you may not know, there are four basic ingredients in marshmallows:

1. sugar
2. water
3. air
4. whipping agent/aerator

If this is starting to sound like Marshmallows are the fifth element, then you are on to something because they just might save the world from sadness and despair.

Over the centuries, the process for making marshmallows has changed, and more ingredients have been added, some have been taken away (sugar), and the once simple square shape has given way to more fanciful shapes like cute bunnies and chickens.

One thing that has not changed however is the fact that marshmallows have a way of sticking with us as a fun, year-round treat.