Did you know that marshmallows originated in Ancient Egypt? The Egyptians extracted a sweet substance from the mallow plant that grows in a marsh. The “marsh-mallow” was boiled with honey to create a thick, sweet, sticky substance.
From the 1800s to the 1900s, French confectioners improved on the marshmallow. They whipped it and added ingredients such as starch and gelatin to create a candy that’s similar to what we have today.
However, because of the added ingredients like gelatin, most commercial marshmallows are not vegan-friendly. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own marshmallows.