Food Bacchanalia: S’mores

As you are camping you have probably heard “Let’s make s’mores!” Now I don’t know about you but… that’s music to my ears! The thought of eating a mouth-watering, melted, chewy desert is amazing.

S’mores: A traditional nighttime campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada, consisting of a marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. National S’mores Day is celebrated annually on August 10.

Now you might be wondering, what kind of brilliant person came up with the thought of graham crackers smooshed together with chocolate and a toasted gooey marshmallow. It turns out No one knows for sure who invented the s’more. However, the first published recipe for “some mores” was in a 1927 publication called Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. Loretta Scott Crew, who made them for Girl Scouts by the campfire, is given credit for the recipe.

History of Marshmallow: Marshmallows come from the sweet sap of the ‘Mallow’ Plant that grows in salty marshes near large bodies of water and grows 2 to 4 feet high. The ancient Egyptians used the mallow root for making their candied delicacies for their Gods, Nobility and Pharaohs over 2000 years ago, Ancient Egyptians were the first to enjoy a gooey treat now called marshmallow as early as 2000 BC. The treat was considered very special and it was reserved for gods and royalty. Marshmallow was made from the mallow plant (Althaea officinalis) that grows wild in marshes.

Chocolate: Chocolate comes from cocoa beans, which grew on trees in Central America and South America starting probably about 100 million years ago. Cocoa trees may have gotten their start on the lower slopes of the Andes Mountains. Cocoa trees can only live in hot, rainy places near the Equator.

Graham crackers: were originally invented in the early 1800s by a Presbyterian minister by the name of Sylvester Graham, who introduced this snack item as part of his then-radical vegetarian diet which eschewed white flour and spices.

All these amazing ingredients make a delicious treat. Now start up a fire and make some s’mores!