FROM THE JAR TO THE PANTRY

Marshmallows started as candy

A marshmallow was originally produced from a European plant belonging to the mallow family. The plant had pink flowers, but it was the root that was used to make the puffy, fluffy “candy.”

In the first half of the nineteenth century a candy maker in Philadelphia named Sebastian Chauveau introduced marshmallows to the United States. It is now made of a mixture of sugar, starch, corn syrup and gelatin, and coated with powdered sugar. The mallow root is no longer part of the recipe.

The move from the candy jar to the pantry was in part because of the advertising by Campfire Marshmallows. The Milwaukee-based company launched its line with images of, naturally, camping and outdoors. But soon, it was promoting marshmallows as an ingredient for desserts or even salad, like shown here.

According to candyprofessor.com, the company also changed the shape of the marshmallow from the candy squares to round (better to cook with) and sold them in six ounce boxes instead of the traditional candy-serving of two and 3/4 ounce. As the food product grew in popularity, marshmallows began to be sold in larger tin cans, like the one shown here big enough to hold ten pounds of the puffy stuff.

Collectors of early advertising memorabilia might watch for marshmallow cans instead of the plastic bags now found of grocery shelves, early manufacturers packaged the confection in tin cans. Some of the brands to watch for are Angelus (“A Message of Purity”), Krause’s, Shotwells, and Starlight (a product of the Cracker Jack Co.)

The book Country Store ‘n’ More, by Harriet and Robert Swedburg, pictures several examples of these early marshmallow tins. Prices range from $15 to $35, with the higher prices commanded by tins that still have their lids.