Soft chewy sweet marshmallows are kids all-time favorite. It is a type of confectionery which is mostly made of sugar, water, and gelatine. You might sometimes get surprised to know that the ingredients are almost the same as that of some candies. This is the point where a question arises in everyone’s mind- ” are marshmallows considered candy?”
Well, Yes most of the people considered Marshmallows as candy. Even you can find out why people accept it as candy. It contains a large amount of sugar, water, and gelatin. But the flour and corn starch makes it a matter of debate. In this article, we will talk about the points that can help you to find out whether marshmallows a candy or not.
If you are a candy lover or a marshmallow lover, you must have a different taste. You must have your own way of eating marshmallows. Some like it roasted, some like it raw, it tastes amazing with hot chocolate and also with brownies. Everyone has their own way, their own taste and there is no rule to eat a marshmallow. So eat it as you like.
Also, check out- Is ice cream considered candy and Chocolate considered candy?
Are marshmallows considered candy?
yes! Marshmallows are considered as candy. It is considered because marshmallow is also a sugar confectionery. But the question is- are marshmallows really candy? There are some defined points that make something candy.
All hard sweets are not necessary to be candy. On the other hand, all soft sugar confectionaries are not candies. To know the exact answer to this question, we need to find out the points that make anything candy.
- In candies, sugar syrup is boiled to form crystallized sugar.
- It must be a confection made with sugar
If you’ll look at the first point- There must be crystallized sugar formed by the boiling process. But marshmallows are not boiled and hence, this point declined it to be a candy. According to the first definition of candy, marshmallows are not considered candy.
On the other hand, the second point defined it must be a sugar confectionary to be a candy. And we all know marshmallows are sugar confectionery.
Is Marshmallow a candy?
No, Marshmallows are not candy in actual. If we see the origin of marshmallows, it is not candy in any way. The marshmallows that we make and eat are almost the modified version of the original marshmallows.
At the very beginning, marshmallows are made of marshmallow plant root or sap. The marshmallow is a medicinal plant and is very helpful in curing cough and throat related problems. It was considered as a royal medicine and was used mainly for royal families.
The plant contains mucilage and has medicinal values. It can be extracted from the sap or by grinding the root of the marshmallow plant. When mucilage is mixed with water it forms a gel-like consistency. It is further mixed with honey to get the sweetness and whipped to the marshmallow consistency.
Now, marshmallows are made of lots of sugar. There is no doubt that it is one of the yummiest confectionaries. But the use of sugar cannot make it candy. The modern version of marshmallow contains water gelatine, sugar, and corn starch.
Although, marshmallow has many other culinary uses but, some people like eating them right out of the package. People eat marshmallows as they eat other candies too. That’s what calling a marshmallow candy is controversial.
Even after these people consider marshmallows as candy. The reason is that today’s marshmallow contains lots of sugar in it and it has very little or almost no health benefits.
What makes marshmallows different from candy?
The process of making marshmallows makes it different from candies. Cooking process plays and vital role in making marshmallows or candy. The timing and the steps of cooking can give you a big difference in the result. Changes in color, texture, and taste can make totally different things. It is very important to take care of proper timing, temperature, and order of steps during cooking time.
Marshmallows
The process of making marshmallows is totally different from that of candies. Basically, gelatine is cooked with sugar and corn syrup. Then it is whipped to fill in the air when it gets cool slightly. And, in the end, some people like to sprinkle corn starch or even powdered sugar.
But in the old days, marshmallow is used to make a substance that is extracted from the marshmallow plant. The root of the plant was crushed and powder is mixed with water to make the gel.
Candies
But the process of making candy depends on the type of candy you are making. For hard sugar candies- sugar is boiled for crystals. Then added flavors and colors and cut it in a candy shape. Whereas, gummy candies are mostly formed by cooking gelatin and sugar. And candy bars are a combination of sugar caramel, nuts, butter, and even chocolates.
Not only the cooking process but the texture, feel and even the taste is different. The way we eat marshmallows and candies are also different. Some eat candies as snacks or desserts. Some also eat marshmallows as snacks and also used stopping of cakes, cookies, hot chocolate, coffee, and even in ice-cream. Even many people use marshmallows as they do with other candies.
Final words:
The conclusion is – marshmallow is not a candy. We turned it into candy and eat it like candy. We cook gelatine wi0th lots of sugar water and corn starch and whipped it to a puffy consistency. This marshmallow can be considered candy only because it contains a high amount of sugar in it. But if you are eating traditional marshmallows, you can’t call it candy as it contains plants flour and honey instead of sugar.
Whatever is the process of making, I call it marshmallow. You can definitely call it candy buy we all know how different it tastes. It is a sweet, puffy, yummy confectionary which we all love. No matter you are a kid or an adult marshmallow brings a big smile on your face each time you put it into your mouth.
