Sorry, What? Turns Out Marshmallows Were Originally Medicine

Dr Pepsi’s name isn’t just catchy: originally called Brad’s Drink, the newer name reportedly “derived from dyspepsia (ie. indigestion), which the beverage was supposed to assuage”. 

A 1907 ad describes the drink as “an absolutely pure combination of pepsin – for the ingestion – acid phosphate and the juices of fresh fruits”. 

And yes, digestive biscuits were originally meant to aid digestion too (seems our modern gut health obsession is nothing new). 

But marshmallows, which were apparently eaten by the Ancient Egyptians many moons ago, “originated as a versatile medicinal syrup and ointment,” Britannica explained.

We don’t know for sure that Ancient Egyptians definitely used them for health reasons, though they appeared to have been reserved for nobility. 

It does seem, however, that Ancient Greeks were using marshmallows for everything from wound-healing to sore throats by the 9th Century BCE.

There is some evidence to suggest the original versions may actually have helped with everything from coughs to skin irritation, too.

Marshmallows used to contain, well, marsh mallow 

“Marsh mallow” is a herbaceous plant from eastern Europe and northern Africa. The root of this plant was used to make medicinal “marshmallows” in the past.

According to the National Confectioners’ Association (NCA), Ancient Egyptians “squeezed sap from the mallow plant and mixed it with nuts and honey”.

We don’t know what this tasted like, but we do know that in the 19th century, the plant was introduced to France. 

At this point, “owners of small candy stores whipped sap from the mallow root into a fluffy candy mould,” the NCA said. 

This was a very long and labour-intensive process, and confectioners struggled to keep up with demand. 

It took until later in the century for marshmallow makers to substitute marshmallow root for gelatin, which is still a standard ingredient in the no-longer-medicinal modern versions.

So... what did original marshmallows taste like? 

You can still get marsh mallow root tea, which contains the old-school sweet’s star ingredient. Its flavour is described as “earthy”, but obviously, that’s before it’s mixed with other ingredients.

Creator Phoenix Ross, who makes difficult, rarely spotlighted, and unlikely foods (including a giant potato smiley and fizzy grapes) by hand, recently tried an old-school marshmallow recipe, which included the root.

Noting the “snotty” texture it created when soaked (which was responsible for traditional marshmallows’ signature spring), he said the flavour was mostly “swamp”. 

He added, “I think there’s a reason we’ve moved on from this”. I’ll take his word for it.