Marshmallows Reimagined: Returning a Junk Food to Its Nourishing Roots

Most people today think of marshmallows as one of the least “real” foods ever created - puffy, shelf-stable sugar pillows with no connection to anything natural. And in their modern form, they absolutely deserve that reputation.

But marshmallows didn’t begin this way.

Long before they became an industrial candy, marshmallows were a soothing medicinal preparation, crafted with ingredients intentionally chosen to nourish and heal. At the Modern Stone Age Kitchen, we’ve spent years reclaiming that ancestral logic - honoring both the history and the function of this remarkable food. In doing so, we’ve rediscovered what the original makers knew all along:

A marshmallow can actually be good for you.

Marshmallows made in the Ancestral Table Class!

The Truth About Commercial Marshmallows

Pick up a modern bag of marshmallows and you’ll find ingredients that couldn’t be further from the original:

• Refined sugar

• Corn syrup

• Processed starches

• Artificial flavors and colors

• Industrial stabilizers

• Preservatives

In manufacturing plants, these ingredients are heated, whipped with chemical foaming agents, extruded into shapes, dusted with starch, and sealed in plastic where they can sit for years.

There is nothing medicinal, nourishing, or historically authentic about them. These are the product of the industrial food era - not a continuation of the tradition that came before.

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A Very Different Beginning: Marshmallow as Medicine

The word “marshmallow” comes from a plant: Althaea officinalis, the marsh-mallow, which grows in wet soils across Europe and Western Asia. Its root contains mucilage - a thick, soothing gel long prized for treating:

• Sore throats

• Coughs

• Digestive irritation

• Mouth and gum inflammation

Marshmallow plant

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Ancient Origins

The Egyptians whipped marshmallow root sap with honey to create a soft, medicinal confection reserved for royalty and the sick. The Greeks and Romans documented its therapeutic benefits. Its purpose was healing - not indulgence.

The French Reinvention: Pâte de Guimauve

In the 18th and 19th centuries, French confectioners created pâte de guimauve, a delicate whipped confection made from:

• Marshmallow root syrup

• Honey or sugar

• Egg whites

It was sold in apothecaries as a remedy for coughs and sore throats. Advertisements highlighted its soothing, medicinal qualities. Early marshmallows were closer to herbal medicine than dessert.

But as demand grew, the process shifted—and eventually marshmallow root was replaced altogether.

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From Healing Confection to Industrial Candy

By the late 19th century, confectioners sought more consistent structure and faster production. Gelatin became the preferred stabilizer- not because it was inferior, but because it offered:

• Greater reliability

• A longer shelf life

• A beautiful, consistent texture

Gelatin itself is incredibly nourishing. The real decline came later, when manufacturers replaced:

• Honey with refined sugar and corn syrup

• Real botanicals with artificial flavors

• Simple handcrafting with industrial extrusion

The marshmallow transformed from a functional, soothing food into a cheap bulk candy.

Our Honey Marshmallows: Reclaiming What Was Lost

For years at the Modern Stone Age Kitchen, we’ve worked to bring marshmallows back to their roots -literally and figuratively. Our marshmallows are made with just four real ingredients:

1. Organic, grass-fed, grass-finished beef gelatin

2. Raw local honey

3. Filtered water

4. Real vanilla extract

No refined sugar. No corn syrup. No additives. Just four nourishing, recognizable ingredients.

Bill “cutting” mini marshmallows for the MSAK hot chocolate

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Why Beef Gelatin?

Gelatin is not just a stabilizer - it is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available:

• Supports joint, skin, hair, and nail health

• Helps repair and seal the gut lining

• Provides amino acids rare in modern diets

• Enhances digestion and mineral absorption

For our ancestors, gelatin-rich foods were essential. For us, they still are.

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God Bless the Bees honey at the MSAK

Why Honey?

Honey brings more than sweetness:

• Enzymes

• Minerals

• Antioxidants

• Prebiotic compounds

It’s alive. It’s functional. And it transforms a marshmallow from empty sugar into something truly nourishing.

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A Note on Marshmallow Root

We are actively experimenting with ways to reincorporate marshmallow root itself back into our recipe -reuniting the confection with the remarkable plant that gave it purpose. But even now, with just honey, gelatin, water, and vanilla, our marshmallows honor the spirit of the original: simple, functional, deeply nourishing food.

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Yes, You Can Make These at Home

One of the most surprising things for people who learn this history is how easy it is to make real marshmallows in their own kitchen. With the right ingredients and a bit of technique, you can create something that not only tastes incredible but actually supports your health.

We’ve been teaching this for years at the Modern Stone Age Kitchen - and most recently through our Ancestral Table community, where we gather each week to reconnect families with lost but essential culinary skills.

Marshmallows don’t have to be junk food. They can be medicine. They can be nourishment. They can be a reminder that even our simplest pleasures come from a lineage far older - and far wiser - than industrial food would have us believe.

Bill teaching how to make marshmallows at home in an Ancestral Table Class