this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2024
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Today I Learned

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[–] [email protected] 84 points 2 months ago (2 children)

But when did you learn it???

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago

I don't know!!!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

Legit thought the headline was talking about marshmallows in Illinois for a second. Like, we have the same marshmallows as the rest of the country, what's the big deal about Illinois?

[–] [email protected] 43 points 2 months ago

I hate Illinois marshmallows!!

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 months ago

This is the recipe I use to make them: https://redheadedherbalist.com/marshmallow-root-marshmallows/

You can use pretty much any herbal tea in the place of the mallow root to make different flavors. I usually dust mine with coconut powder instead of arrowroot, too. Mallow powder can be found at most health food stores, but you can also forage your own Mallows or cheese weed to make your own if you know what to look for.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago (1 children)

There's a native marshmallow plant(althea officinalis) that I grow in my gardens. Trying to get the roots out to make marshmallows is like trying to pull an octopus out of the ground.

It's so worth it. The flowers are quite pretty too.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Screenshotted for later. What zone are you in?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm in zone 6! Marshmallows like a lot of water, and will take partial shade. If you have an area that likes to puddle or gets really water logged that's a perfect place tp put them since they'll soak up all the water.

Also, they get VERY large. Like 6-7ft tall and 3-4ft wide on their second year. They do die back to the ground completely in winter though. And they can spread when they're happy so make sure you leave lots of space for them.

They are very easy to grow from seed with some stratifying in the fridge(simulate winter), or get pre-stratified seeds. Good luck and enjoy!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I didn't forget to reply! I saved this to reply later. My wife is going to love this info. We have a pretty good spot to fill in and it gets puddley in the wet area. Im 7A zone.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Sounds like the perfect spot to plant them! I'm pretty sure they'll grow in zones 5-9 so you guys should be good to go in 7a

I hope you enjoy them, they're really neat plants!

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Very interesting, but how did it get its name?

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I think it had something to do with this guy.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Hmm, I don't get the reference. I guess I'll just have to add it to the list of mysteries like where KFC originated, the main dish at waffle house and what post hole diggers are used for.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

All joking aside, I would like to point out that the main dish at Waffle House is hash browns. I just don't want folks to be confused about such an important thing!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Are you serious? I just told you.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Now I'd like to taste some fresh ancient marshes mallow.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

That's what I want to know. What do they taste like?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago

TIL Illinois Marshmallows are from ancient Egypt.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago

It's saying modern marshmallows are made with corn syrup, starch, sugar and gelatin but originally it was made with mallow plant.

Now I want to try the mallow version - has anyone here tried them?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Ancient egyptians didn’t speak english

[–] [email protected] 47 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They likely weren't called that in ancient Egypt lol

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They lived in Modern Egypt at the time

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You've clearly never been to Egypt this century lol

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I visited about 25 years ago and can confirm it was like living in a different century.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 months ago (1 children)

there is a capitalized AND to imply this is a 2 for 1 til deal

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Yeah, it was the sap of marsh mallow that the Egyptians used.

Saying that doesn't mean that they think Egyptians used the English word "marshmallow".

Edit but it likely was something like their words for those things, which then got translated again and again and again.

The original connotation didn't reach us. My native language calls the modern sweet "foam candy" (vaahtokarkki)

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

My country calls it "mice bacon" (Mäusespeck). 😅

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That doesn't make sense in any way.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Apparently it's based on the fact that the colour reminded people of the bacon used in mouse traps. Although it's a bit unclear, it could also play into things that the first company to sell marshmallows en masse in Germany used mice-shaped ones.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Ooo what do you call cotton candy?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Hattara.

It doesn't directly translate into anything. Sort of connotates the flimsiness of the product, but much else.

Hattara sounds like it could be an iron age god tbh.

Oh, oh. I wasn't too wrong. Hattara is a Finnish mythical being. https://fi.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattara_(mytologia)

In French, the word "hattara" means father's beard, and in Greek, the word "hattara" means old women's hair.

I love etymology but Finnish ones aren't as easy to figure out as English / other PIE languages

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Thank you for the reply! I've never been big on etymology but I might need to get more into it, that's so neat.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago

Not relevant

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

They also didn't speak German. What point are you trying to make?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

Hmmm by the looks of the title how can I trust that you learned it today and not 5 days ago?

The gall of some people smh.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

So they didnt always use Pig skin and bones? Damn

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

First, you take the graham. You stick the chocolate...on the graham. Then, you roast the mallow..

https://youtu.be/XlddDZkkxCc?si=IVkoKvjYv0g2tHmn

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

My hopes were up when opening this thread as I hoped it would have been completely plantbased. Too bad.