Most people point to a 1917 pamphlet by the Angelus Marshmallow Company as the first time sweet potatoes and marshmallows came together. This company is believed to be the first to commercially-produce and sell the squishy white marshmallows we know, roast, and snack on today.
In subsequent years, Angelus — which later changed its name to Campfire – published additional recipe booklets promoting the use of marshmallows, with 1930 and 1950 editions both containing sweet potato-marshmallow casseroles (via Kitchn). So there you have it: This sweet idea started with a companys campaign to sell more of its product, a movement whose success is evident every Thanksgiving Day.
Typically associated more with camping than with a refined dinner, on Thanksgiving Day, marshmallows somewhat inexplicably find their way onto the table — not as dessert, mind you, but alongside the savory dishes. Were talking about sweet potato casserole and its puffy burnished cap of marshmallows, a Thanksgiving side thats extremely common but also widely reviled for being way too sweet and just, well, weird (via Quartz). Sweet potatoes are, true to their name, extremely sugary, and since marshmallows primary ingredients are sugar and corn syrup (via HEB), the two together are a sweet affair. One might wonder: Why were these two ingredients paired in the first place?
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, cooks around the United States arm their pantries, refrigerators, and freezers with all the ingredients needed for the essentials of the dinner table: a big ol turkey for the main event, plenty of potatoes for the mashers, tart cranberries for the sauce, and canned or fresh pumpkin for the pie. And they mustnt forget, of course — a bag of marshmallows.
Although it might seem strange to eat a dessert-like side dish alongside savory food, such sweet dishes have been common in American cooking since way back, according to Kitchn. The origins of the famous Thanksgiving recipe are traced back to Americas first cookbook “American Cookery” by Amelia Simmons, which cites predecessors as a 1796 “potatoe pudding” calling for half a pound of sugar to be folded into boiled, mashed sweet potatoes, and an 1840 “yam pudding” adding cinnamon and a whipped egg white topping to the concept in the cookbook “Directions for Cookery.”
But it wasnt until 1917, according to Saveur, that marshmallows, which the Angelus Marshmallow company had recently commercialized, joined the party. Angelus hired Janet McKenzie Hill, founder of “The Boston Cooking-School Magazine,” to develop recipes for a pamphlet encouraging home cooks to use marshmallows as an everyday ingredient, not just a special occasion one. The pamphlet contained plenty of now-classic recipes, including marshmallow-studded fudge, hot cocoa with marshmallows, and the first known recipe for mashed sweet potatoes baked underneath a marshmallow topping.
Long before these tubers were smothered in marshmallows, sweet potatoes were a staple across the Americas. Native to Central and South America, they were brought to North America by the Spanish during colonial times. Sweet potatoes soon took off in popularity, especially in the southern United States, where the humid climate provided comfortable growing conditions.
The novelty of this new product opened up a new world for marketers, who tried to find any way possible to incorporate the marshmallows into American diets. According to Saveur, it was 1917 when the first instance of sweet potatoes baked with a coat of marshmallows appeared in a recipe booklet commissioned by Angelus Marshmallows.
Contrary to popular belief, sweet potatoes were not present at “the first Thanksgiving” aka the arrival of the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in November 1621. The sweet vegetable did however begin appearing at seasonal holidays in the 1800s as a replacement for pumpkin in pies and other fall dishes.
It wasnt until the early 1900s that the fateful pairing of sweet potatoes with marshmallows became known in the culinary world. In the late 1800s, the creation of marshmallows was a painstaking process, making them a costly product savored mainly by the wealthy. Yet by the turn of the century, with improvements in mass production, marshmallows became a cheaply made product (but with the lasting reputation of being uber-fancy).
When Marshmallows Met Sweet Potatoes
FAQ
Why are there marshmallows on sweet potatoes?
Do Americans put marshmallows on sweet potato?
Who invented marshmallows on yams?
Why do we have marshmallows on Thanksgiving?
When did sweet potatoes & marshmallows come together?
Most people point to a 1917 pamphlet by the Angelus Marshmallow Company as the first time sweet potatoes and marshmallows came together. This company is believed to be the first to commercially-produce and sell the squishy white marshmallows we know, roast, and snack on today.
What are the spiky things in sweet potatoes?
They are the sprouts of the potato, if they are with these tips, you can bury the potato that sprouted in the garden of your backyard and that way, new potatoes will be born. But you can also just cut them out and cook them that are ok for consumption.
How long do you cook sweet potatoes with marshmallows?
Pour butter over potatoes. Sprinkle with brown sugar and salt. Top with marshmallows. Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are thoroughly heated and marshmallows are lightly browned. Canned sweet potatoes, marshmallows, and a few pantry items make this an easy side dish to throw together.
Why are sweet potatoes so popular?
Many, including Henry VIII, believed sweet potatoes were an aphrodisiac, further aiding their popularity. From Europe, the potatoes were brought over to America where they found a happy home in the humid South. Southerners adopted the flourishing sweet potato as a replacement for pumpkin in pies and seasonal side dishes.