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Marshmallows – Our Most Popular Confectionary

22nd March 2013 by Zusie Cholakova

Last month we explored the origins and popularity of our most requested dipping food; the strawberry. By far and away the most grabbed and snatched at fruit at the events we take our chocolate fountains to; the strawberry clearly catches hold of the Briton in all of us. But our most popular confectionary dipping food is the marshmallow. The fluffy pink and white clouds of sugar and gelatine offer the perfect complement to melted chocolate, and we certainly begin to see the same faces re-appearing for marshmallows throughout the evening. So what makes them so moreish?

The origin of the marshmallow candy is disputed amongst experts, though many agree that it was medicinal in nature. Extracts of the marshmallow plant had been used as sore throat remedies since Egyptian times, so we like to think that a Pharaoh got experimental in his chambers one evening with sugar syrup and found himself with the fluffy marshmallow!

But more likely is that French confectioners discovered the secret of the marshmallow production, by whipping the sap of the plant and adding (a lot) of sugar to the mix. Once perfected, marshmallows began finding themselves on the end of sticks over a campfire, floating atop a warm cup of hot chocolate and sandwiched between graham crackers and chocolate to make the infamous S’more.

As in – “gimme s’more!”

Marshmallows get a bad rap as being an unhealthy type of food, but they have their hidden benefits too. Sure they contain a lot of sugar, but they’re also full of gelatine; a key ingredient in keeping your skin, hair and nails healthy. When it comes to feel-good factor, there’s nothing more satisfying than sharing a bag of marshmallows with your friends. Introduce a chocolate fountain into the mix and we challenge anybody to resist coming back for seconds!

Did we mention they contain 0g of fat?

Whilst they’re certainly more popular in the States than in the UK, marshmallows enjoy a roaring trade throughout London with La Fontaine de Chocolat. They would certainly be one of our top choices were we to be given a platter of treats to dip, though we’d probably have to be taken away before we finished the entire bunch. Nobody has a sweet tooth like a chocolate fountain hire company!

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