What is a marshmellow?

Question

What is it made of and how is it made.

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmallow
The marshmallow is a confection that, in its modern form, consists of sugar or corn syrup, beaten egg whites, gelatin that has been pre-softened in water, gum arabic, and flavorings, whipped to a spongy consistency. The traditional recipe used an extract from the mucilaginous root of the marshmallow plant, a shrubby herb (Althaea officinalis), instead of gelatin; the mucilage performed as a cough suppressant.

Commercial marshmallows are a late 19th century innovation. Since Alex Doumak's patented extrusion process of 1948, marshmallows are extruded as soft cylinders, cut in sections and rolled in a mix of finely powdered cornstarch and confectioner's sugar.

Marshmallows are popular with children and adults alike, and are eaten with or without accompaniments. In the United States and elsewhere, marshmallows are also used in hot chocolate or café mocha (mochachino), Mallomars, in Peeps and other candy, on top of candied sweet potatoes during Thanksgiving, in Rice Krispie treats, in ice cream flavors such as Rocky road, and several other foodstuffs.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question128.htm
How do they make marshmallows?

Marshmallows are incredibly cool -- not only do they taste good, but by lighting them you can create a great source of light in a dark campsite!
Technically, marshmallows are a confection -- a candy. They've been around in the form we know them since the mid-1800s.

They are called "marshmallows" because part of the early recipe called for sap from the root of the marshmallow plant.

According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, a marshmallow is:

1: a pink-flowered European perennial herb (Althaea officinalis) of the mallow family that is naturalized in the eastern U.S. and has a mucilaginous root sometimes used in confectionery and in medicine; 2: a confection made from the root of the marshmallow or from corn syrup, sugar, albumen, and gelatin beaten to a light spongy consistency

That word "mucilaginous" means "jelly-like." Later, the root was replaced by gelatin, and that is how modern marshmallows are made.

There is a very cool cookbook called Better than Store Bought that is now out of print but still available in used book stores and libraries. It contains the following recipe for making your own marshmallows:

* 1/4 cup cornstarch
* 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
* 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
* 1/3 cup water
* 2/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup light corn syrup
* Pinch of salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Sift the cornstarch and confectioners sugar into a bowl. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch square baking pan and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch-and-sugar mixture into it. Tilt the pan to coat the sides and the bottom. Leave any excess in the pan.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin into the water in a small saucepan and let soak for five minutes. Add the granulated sugar and stir over low heat until the gelatin and sugar dissolve.
3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the gelatin mixture, corn syrup, salt and vanilla and beat for 15 minutes on high speed, until peaks form.
4. Spread the fluffy mixture in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Leave for two hours or until set.
5. With a wet knife, cut the marshmallow mixture into quarters and loosen around the edges. Sprinkle the remaining cornstarch-and-sugar mixture on a baking sheet and invert the marshmallow blocks onto it. Cut each quarter into nine pieces and roll each one in the starch and sugar.
6. Place the marshmallows on a cake rack covered with paper towels and let them stand over night to dry the surface slightly. Store airtight; the marshmallows will keep for a month.

Answer 2

Hot Chocoalate with marshmellows.

Answer 3

They are called "marshmallows" because part of the early recipe called for sap from the root of the marshmallow plant.
Marshmallow candy dates back to ancient Egypt where it was a honey-based candy flavored and thickened with the sap of the root of the Marsh-Mallow plant (althea officinalis). Marsh-Mallow grows in salt marshes and on banks near large bodies of water. It is common in the eastern United States. Until the mid 1800's, marshmallow candy was made using the sap of the Marsh-Mallow plant. Gelatin replaces the sap in the modern recipes.