Marshmallow is a popular delicacy known to mankind for a very long time. In Ancient Greece, it was believed that its recipe was presented to people by the god of the west wind Zephyr, and the dessert was named after him. True, in those hoary times they prepared it by mixing bee honey and marshmallow, which acted as a thickener.
In Rus' they cooked their own version of the delicacy. Thick apple jam was mixed with honey, when the dessert hardened, it was cut into pieces and dried well in the sun. This sweetness is called marshmallow, and it was this that became the prototype of the marshmallow we are used to.
In the 19th century, a merchant, engineer, inventor, and owner of apple orchards, Ambrose Prokhorov, came up with the idea of adding egg white to the classic marshmallow. After which it acquired a white color, became harder and more elastic. The delicacy produced by Prokhorov's factory quickly conquered Europe. Trying to reproduce it, French confectioners added not ordinary whites, but whipped ones. The resulting sweet mass had an elastic structure and became known as “French marshmallow.”
Over the years, marshmallows have acquired different colors, aromas and tastes thanks to the emergence of various dyes and flavors. And to decorate it now they use not only powdered sugar, but also nut crumbs, chocolate, and glaze.
Modern marshmallows have four main, mandatory components: applesauce or fruit puree, sugar (they replaced honey), protein and gelatin or its natural analogue agar-agar. Thanks to its natural composition, the calorie content of the product is only 321 kcal per 100 g. You must agree that for a dessert this figure is very modest.
Marshmallow is recommended by the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences for consumption by young children and schoolchildren during periods of active growth and increased brain activity. This is because it is rich in pectin, which improves digestion and stimulates brain activity.
