I guess I didn't know anything about a marshmallow, except you put it on the end of a stick and hold it over the fire or you throw a bunch of little ones into a fruit salad. Beyond that, I have never thought, much, about a marshmallow.
I sure didn't know that the marshmallow is actually a plant that originated in Africa. The Egyptians made candy out of the mallow plant but only the gods and royalty got to eat it. It was, apparently, that good!
The scientific name for the marshmallow is Althaea officinalis. I'm glad that they came up with a common name of "marshmallow". I can't imagine saying, "Let's get some sticks and build a fire and toast some Althaea Officinalis."
The marshmallow plant was also used, by the Egyptians for medicinal purposes. The candy or marshmallow we know is, actually, made from the root of the plant.
You don't really need all of that information to enjoy "marshmallow day" but it's fun to know that what you're eating goes back thousands of years.
Some of the younger folks who look at me think I, also, go back thousands of years and some days I feel like it.
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