S'more

History

The precursor to s'mores (a contraction of the phrase "some more") is the Marshmallow Marguerite. These are small confections that typically consist of butter and marshmallow spread across a saltine cracker, and are toasted and served with hot chocolate or tea. Popularised by cookbooks and magazines published by the Boston Cooking School, variations published in newspapers and magazines included a 1910 variation using graham crackers as a base, and a 1913 variation with a layer of melted chocolate below the marshmallow. Later in 1913, a commercial version was released by National Biscuit Company under the name "Nabisco Mallowmars". Another marshmallow and chocolate combination went on the market in 1917 with the release of Moon Pie.

By the mid-1920s, descriptions were being published of s'mores being eaten in a camping setting. Roasting marshmallows on a fire was well established in the US by this time, with reports appearing in the New York Times as early as 1902 attesting to the popularity of the practice at "marshmallow parties". In 1925, a Connecticut newspaper described Girl Scouts eating "Some-mores" as, "a graham cracker on which is placed a piece of Hershey chocolate, a toasted marshmallow, another piece of chocolate and a graham cracker".

Food writer Stella Parks identifies the setting as particularly appropriate for a crumbly and sticky, dripping confection, where it could be eaten "with abandon". Alternate versions eaten by Girl Scouts at this time included s'mores substituting apples for graham crackers, and peanut butter for chocolate. Marguerites continued to be eaten and were popular through the 1930s among women's luncheons and teas, served open-faced and without chocolate. Sometimes, a candied cherry was placed in the center as it came out from under the broiler. By the end of the decade, "some more" had been contracted to "s'mores".

In the 1990s, s'mores became popular among American adults, and elaborate versions appeared in restaurants, dressed with a raspberry coulis and intended to be eaten with cutlery. A s'mores martini was also invented during this time, made with white chocolate and vanilla liqueurs. Food historian Linda Civitello attributes this to Americans in the baby boomer generation turning from low-fat foods and exercise to comfort foods as they aged, with s'mores a food reminiscent of their 1950s childhoods.

Description

A basic s'more is prepared by roasting a marshmallow on a fire, rotating it to produce an even cook, and placing it between graham crackers with a thin piece of chocolate. For a few seconds, the s'more is allowed to sit—as it's close to the heat of the marshmallow, the chocolate melts, adding adhesiveness to the already sticky marshmallow. Together, they hold the s'more collectively. Preferences for how toasted the marshmallow should be vary from lightly cooked to a dark char. The element of fire sometimes produces burns to the hands. Away from a campfire, s'mores are sometimes prepared under a broiler, microwave, grill, or at the table in restaurants furnished with hibachi grills.

Numerous variations are made by swapping elements, such as graham crackers for ginger snap, saltines or potato chips, marshmallow for Peeps, and chocolate for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. More elaborate versions are prepared by some pastry chefs, making their own marshmallows to be paired with graham crackers and with chocolate they consider high quality. One such version created by New York-based pastry chef Dominique Ansel used Speculoos as the cookie, salt, and a "maple-infused whiskey ganache" for the chocolate. When ordered, a honey-flavored marshmallow was cooked with a blow-torch.

S'mores are associated by many Americans with childhood memories of preparing the confection around a campfire in the summer. For several food writers, this nostalgia is described as more valuable than the flavor; Amy Scattergood, writing for the Los Angeles Times, describes s'mores as "waxy chocolate, stale Graham crackers, [and] bits of gooey carbon", and a blogger quoting in the New York Times describes a very sweet flavor that becomes less appealing as an adult. In the United States, August 10 is designated "National S'Mores Day", and in Canada, s'mores are also popular among campers.

In several iterations of modern sweets, including ice cream, brownies, and cupcakes, s'more appears as a flavoring. Other versions sold by restaurants and cafés include blondies, dessert burritos and empanadas. Corporations have also produced s'mores flavored products, such as Kellogg's s'mores Pop-Tarts and Hershey's chocolate cookies, and in 2017, the Girl Scouts released s'mores cookies in two varieties: crispy and crunchy.

References

Citations

Sources

References

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3. Sichynsky, Tanya. (August 10, 2022). "The Perfect S'more Is Practically Burned and a Little Salty". New York Times.
4. (September 9, 1925). "Patrol Leaders Have Outing". [[The Hour (newspaper).
5. Baggett, Nancy. (August 1, 2007). "S'okay by Me if the S'mores Are Made Indoors". The Washington Post.
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10. Krystal, Becky. (February 2, 2017). "S’mores: Not just for the campfire anymore". The Washington Post.
11. Scattergood, Amy. (August 10, 2015). "This is way better than s’mores". [[Los Angeles Times]].
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13. Sifton, Sam. (July 7, 2019). "S’mores Blondies for the Win". The New York Times.
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16. Rao, Tejal. (January 13, 2017). "One Cookie, 2 Versions: Why Girl Scout S’mores Won’t All Be the Same". The New York Times.