They come into their own around Thanksgiving in the US, used alongside savoury dishes, as well as in desserts. Now is the time to try them with sweet potatoes, in a strawberry mousse, or even with soup
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he connection between marsh mallow the herbaceous perennial, also known as althaea officinalis, and marshmallow the puffy cylindrical sweet, is historic. In the 19th century, the sap of the plant was still a key ingredient of its confectionary namesake, along with sugar and egg whites. But that connection has long been severed: the modern industrial marshmallow is derived from a mixture of sugar, water and gelatine. Its main ingredient is air.
But there’s a lot you can do with the humble marshmallow – here are 17 examples.
By all accounts, a homemade marshmallow is infinitely preferable to the store-bought version, although it’s also a necessary compromise – you can’t hope to replicate the exact texture of the machine-made product.
