What if we told you that, this year, the most intense form of Thanksgiving drama wont come by way of your crazed uncle pushing his shaky political agenda on the entire family? But rather from a culinary imposter rooted deep within your very own Thanksgiving menu.
Yes, were talking about the infamous sweet potato casserole, an arbitrary tradition that, over time, has deceptively positioned itself as an American classic, akin to apple pie. However, in my opinion, that couldnt be further from the truth. Heres an air-tight case for why marshmallows dont belong anywhere near a sweet potato.
It’s a dated “tradition” without any significant cultural or family value
What you thought was a long-standing tradition inspired by deep-rooted American values is actually nothing more than a great marketing scheme inspired by good ol capitalism. According to Saveur, the story goes like this: As marshmallows became trendy in the early 1900s, the company Angelus Marshmallows came up with the brilliant (albeit slightly sinister) scheme to position the product as the perfect way to “encourage home cooks to embrace the candy as an everyday ingredient.” Think its safe to say “mission accomplished.” Feel played? You should.
It’s just flat-out lazy
Remember, this whole marshmallows-atop-sweet-potatoes business came to life around the same time as things like gelatin salad and canned sauces became a thing. This new category of products was essentially created to save “housewives” both time and effort in the kitchen. As a result, marshmallows became the perfect substitute for more labor-intensive toppings like whipped cream and meringue.