# Where can I get marshmallow marshmallows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 20, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449 "2006-06-20T17:03:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/1 "2006-06-20T17:03:39Z")
The marshmallow is so named because it used to be made from the mucilaginous root of the marshmallow plant. However, today gelatin is used instead. Does anyone still make marshmallows from the marshmallow plant, and if so, where can I get some? (I’m in London, so a local source would be preferable.) Also, is there any noticeable difference in taste between marshmallow marshmallows and gelatin marshmallows? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/2 "2006-06-20T20:24:38Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > The marshmallow is so named because it used to be made from the mucilaginous root of the marshmallow plant. However, today gelatin is used instead. > > Does anyone still make marshmallows from the marshmallow plant, and if so, where can I get some? (I’m in London, so a local source would be preferable.) Also, is there any noticeable difference in taste between marshmallow marshmallows and gelatin marshmallows? I have tried searching for these in the past with no success; the Marsh Mallow is not a very common plant and it would probably be illegal or at least impractical to gather it in the wild, and the habitat (marshland) is not something that is easy to cultivate. The demand level is probably right there on the dividing line - too high to make sustainable wild harvesting possible, too low to make it worth cultivating. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/3 "2006-06-20T20:33:19Z")
It’s easy to get Marsh Mallow root. Just go to a store specializing in natural herbs. I’ve found it in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in Salem, Massachusetts. Get yourself a good herbal. I got one for Pepper Mill, who grows herbs herself. That one describes the growth and use of Marshmallow. The stuff you buy is the root. If you boil it, you get a glutinous extract that’s good for soothing sore throats. If you boil it down, sweeten it, and let it set, I imagine you’d get classic “Marshmallow”. If you’re really into it, you can obtain your own plants from Marshes (it’s the _marsh_ mallow, after all), or I’m sure you can buy it somewhere. According to the book, the plant Marsh Mallow has edible rounding bits that are called “cheeses”. These don’t seem to be associated with the “Marsghmallow” medicine/throat cure that apparently lies at the root of today’s Marshmallow treats, but maybe it influenced the shape. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/4 "2006-06-20T20:36:34Z")
Here is an [article](http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw11062005/taste.html) about one guy’s attempt to make a “real” marshmallow. He says they dont’ much resemble the marshmallows we know. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/5 "2006-06-20T21:23:20Z")
You actually want to buy and consume something “mucilaginous”? Good luck to ya 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/6 "2006-06-21T07:46:50Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > You actually want to buy and consume something “mucilaginous”? Good luck to ya 😉 Mucilage goes down a treat in some cultures; in parts of Africa, there’s a herb soup called Melokhia that has a glutinous texture - the main ingredient is actually a close relative of the Marsh Mallow. In parts of (I think)central or south America, they have a cactus soup that is similarly gloopy. All looks like a bowl of snot to me, but _Vive la Différence_ and all that… And then there’s okra (another relative of Marsh Mallow), which is also mucilaginous. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/7 "2006-06-21T07:50:29Z")
It’s threads like this that make me love the SDMB in all of its _mucilaginous_ glory. Just sayin’. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/8 "2006-06-21T09:54:32Z")
Is the OP refering to what I have always called _Bois de Panama?_ It is so called because it is most commonly found in Lebanon, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/9 "2006-06-21T12:39:29Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Is the OP refering to what I have always called _Bois de Panama?_ It is so called because it is most commonly found in Lebanon, IIRC. The OP has no idea, since he has never encountered nor even heard of _bois de Panama_. Why on earth is it named after Panama if it’s found mostly in Lebanon? And more importantly, what is it and why is it being mentioned in a thread about marshmallows? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/10 "2006-06-21T15:14:57Z")
Excuse me, pardon me, let the herbalist into the thread please! _ahem_ You prob’ly won’t like them. If you do, it won’t be because they’re like the marshmallows you know. They’re little hard cookies - like merengue cookies - not smooshy fluffiness and goo. Marshmallow infusion (it extracts MUCH more goo in cold water than hot, by the way) is, in fact, more or less exactly like snot. I dare my students to drink it. It’s like the old spitoon joke - you can’t really take a sip, you sort of end up sucking down the whole bowl due to it’s viscosity. It has almost no taste, however. Marshmallow marshmallow recipe [here.](http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/4/Real_Marshmallows44000.shtml) You can see why they’re like merengue cookies - they \*\*are \*\*merengue cookies, with marshmallow root added. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/11 "2006-06-21T15:59:05Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > You actually want to buy and consume something “mucilaginous”? Good luck to ya 😉 No tapioca pudding for you, then. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/12 "2006-06-21T16:02:50Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > And then there’s okra (another relative of Marsh Mallow), which is also mucilaginous. Is it ever! :dubious: I remember the first time I ordered okra. It was in a fairly fancy restaurant, and wasn’t cheap, so I felt obliged to at least eat _some_ of it, but I soon had to give up as the texture was actually making me retch. Yum 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/13 "2006-06-21T17:16:42Z")
_Bois De Panama_ ('Wood of Panama" in French) is the name given to different things. the first (_Quillaja saponaria_) is from the Americas (presumably Panama). When boiled, its bark gives us some scummy stuff, that when cooled and whipped, gives a very white, stiff foam. It was used in marshmallows since at least the turn of the last century. The other plant (_Saponaria officinalis_) is found in the Middle East in the Old World. It yields a similar mousse (called _naatiffe_ in Arabic that is the basis of a number of confections, including _karabij_ in Egypt. It has an slight almond taste and so was never used in marshmallows. It is sort of the local analogue to whipped cream. Both are commonly called soapwort. The marshmallow plant of Europe (_Althaea officinalis_) is a sort of hollyhock kind of common flower. It is related to the Asian mallow. It was the basis of the old marshmallow, but was displaced first by bois de Panama, and later by Gum Arabic (from _Acacia senegal_ while I am looking up stuff). As a recipe, I can give only a general outline. Boil sugar (syrup) to the hard ball stage. Add your gelling agent (take your pick). Add flavoring or coloring (vanilla is called for IIRC). Beat in egg whites. allow to set in a shallow pan, dust with confectionary sugar and cut into cubes. Does that help? (All of this is from _The Oxford Compainion to Food_, a book every cook need around the house. ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/14 "2006-06-21T23:51:25Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > … > The other plant (_Saponaria officinalis_) is found in the Middle East in the Old World. It yields a similar mousse (called _naatiffe_ in Arabic that is the basis of a number of confections, including _karabij_ in Egypt. It has an slight almond taste and so was never used in marshmallows. It is sort of the local analogue to whipped cream. > … Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants says: _ **Warning:** Saponins contained in this plant can cause severe irritation to the digestive tract._ ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/15 "2006-06-21T23:56:10Z")
To add to my previous post, there used to be a beverage made from orchid roots and named Salep or Saloop, popular in the 1800s - it was mucilaginous. I’ll not be at all surprised if there cannot be found something with that approximate texture in nearly every food culture on Earth. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/16 "2006-06-22T00:11:35Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > You actually want to buy and consume something “mucilaginous”? Good luck to ya 😉 All-natural marshmallows. They’re mucilaginously delicious. Do any of these plants occur naturally in North America? ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/17 "2006-06-22T00:42:06Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > All-natural marshmallows. They’re mucilaginously delicious. > > Do any of these plants occur naturally in North America? Soapwort _Saponaria officinalis_ is a common introduced roadside weed here., but … Cheeses, _Malva neglecta_, mentioned above is a common lawn weed. It’s called that because the edible fruits look like cheese wheels. They don’t taste the least bit cheesey though. Marsh mallow, _Althaea officinalis_ is occasionally found on swampy ground around here, but isn’t common. I don’t know if any of these are found in New Mexico. It would surprise me if cheeses and soapwort could be found there. ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/18 "2006-06-22T00:44:40Z")
… **wouldn’t** surprise me… ---
**Author:** ![mrrealtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@mrrealtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrrealtime)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/19 "2006-06-22T02:47:49Z")
This kind of gives me an idea of replacing eggs with okra snot (and some other stuff like tumeric and yeast flakes) … hmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449/20 "2006-06-22T02:53:43Z")
Has anyone followed the Yahoo link to [www.aseli.de](http://www.aseli.de)? Do they sell old-fashioned marshmallows? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-marshmallow-marshmallows/361449.md?page=2)