(mellow relaxing music)
- [Narrator] It's Thanksgiving;
turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes,
but the one thing that has always stood out
is a bit of a head scratcher:
sweet potato casserole, mmm.
We're pretty sure sweet potatoes and marshmallows
weren't at the original Thanksgiving.
So what happened?
Sweet potatoes have been around forever.
And marshmallows, this sticky, gooey mess
actually comes from a plant
and has been around since ancient Egypt.
A delicacy only pharaohs could eat.
Okay, fast forward to the 20th century.
Marshmallows were a big deal,
expensive, and essentially the Cristal of sweet treats.
Not only that, but they were even hand made.
Marshmallows became a mainstay for highfalutin housewives.
See, back then, housewives would have to make whipped cream
or even meringue by hand,
but the marshmallows were a modern time saver.
The first recipe that paired sweet potatoes
and marshmallows appeared in 1918
in a trade journal, cleverly named Sweet Potatoes and Yams.
As marshmallows grew in popularity
and began being mass produced,
more and more recipes began implementing them
as an everyday ingredient.
Nowadays, marshmallows are generally
reserved for campfires and hot chocolate,
and this nontraditional/ traditional favorite.
Whether you like your sweet potatoes
a la marshmallow or plain,
happy Thanksgiving!
(mid-tempo relaxing music)