Fluffy and fabulous! 17 ways with marshmallows from cheesecake to salad to an espresso martini

"The 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."

"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. Most recipes call for egg whites and gelatine, although Felicity Cloake's perfect marshmallows dispense with the egg. Fancy variations on this basic theme include Tamal Ray's lime marshmallows and Jamie Oliver 's chocolate ale marshmallows."

"For the most part, marshmallow recipes ie where marshmallow is an ingredient, rather than the desired result call for the shop-bought kind. You could probably substitute your own homemade efforts, but that would be missing the point twice over. You don't necessarily want your delicate, fussed-over creations to become mere ingredients, and anyway, there is something about a cheap industrial marshmallow a certain quality, or lack thereof that's important here."

The marsh mallow plant, althaea officinalis, originally supplied sap used in marshmallow confections alongside sugar and egg whites. Industrial marshmallows are now made from sugar, water and gelatine, with air as their main component. Homemade marshmallows are generally preferred for flavor and craft but cannot precisely replicate machine-made texture. Most marshmallow recipes call for egg whites and gelatine, though some recipes omit egg. Variations include lime, chocolate ale and redcurrant-wreath marshmallows. Many preparations use cheap shop-bought marshmallows as ingredients because their texture and cost suit certain recipes, such as toffee squares and popcorn bars.

Read at www.theguardian.com