Marshmallows, fluffy creamy treats, they've been around longer than most can remember, but what happened in order to form the snack we know today? It all started with the discovery of the marshmallow plant (scientific name, the Althea Officinalis) in 2000 B.C. by the ancient Egyptians. The primitive marshmallow was made using the sap of the Marshmallow plant, mixed with honey, to make a sweet candy usually presented only to Pharaohs. The next time marshmallows were recorded was in France during the 1800’s. This new form of marshmallow was made using the marshmallow plant’s sap, egg whites and sugar. They were sold as a remedy for sore thoughts. Marshmallows appeared once again when in 1948 an American named, Alex Doumak revolutionized the creation of marshmallows. Alex patented the marshmallow extrusion process. This eliminated the need for the marshmallow plant and birthed the cylindrical marshmallows we know today. With the help of his new patent Alex created the Doumak company that now owns Campfire brand marshmallows.
Now you may be thinking what was this new fancy “marshmallow extrusion process”, well its actually quite simple. It starts with the ingredients, sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin are the three main ingredients, anything other ingredients are different from brand to brand. They mix all the ingredients into a big drum and mix them. After this they are squeezed through tubes that shape them into long cylindrical ropes. They move on a conveyer belt into a blade slicing at the right time to cut them into marshmallows. Finally they get rolled in finely ground flour so they don't stick together. After all this you have the tasty, yummy, fluffy goodness, a marshmallow.