Marshmallow marshmallow a day. Today, the marshmallow typically consists of four components. These are sugar, water, air, and a whipping agent (usually a protein). The type of sugar and whipping agent varies depending on desired characteristics. Each ingredient plays a specific role in the final product. Confectioners in early 19th century France pioneered the innovation of whipping up the marshmallow sap and sweetening it, to make a confection similar to modern marshmallow. The confection was made locally by the owners of small sweet shops. They would extract the sap from the mallow plant's root, and whip it themselves. The candy was
Althaea (plant) treated in the genus "Alcea" (hollyhocks). Accepted species according to Plants of the World online are:<br> "Althaea angulata" Freyn<br> "Althaea armeniaca" Ten.<br> "Althaea bertramii" Post & Beauverd<br> "Althaea cannabina" L.<br> "Althaea chrysantha" Sam.<br> "Althaea damascena" Mouterde<br> "Althaea hiri" Parsa<br> "Althaea octaviae" Evenari<br> "Althaea officinalis" L.<br> "Althaea oppenheimii" Ulbr.<br> "Althaea villosa" Blatt.<br> The root contains starch (37%), mucilage (11%), pectin (11%), flavonoids, phenolic acids, sucrose, and asparagine. The traditional medicinal uses of the plant are reflected in the name of the genus, which comes from the Greek "althainein", meaning "to heal". The flowers and young leaves can be eaten, and are