-
Period: 3100 BCE to 2686 BCE
Where marshmallow candy began
The simple answer is that marshmallow candy originated in ancient Egypt. It started out as a honey candy that was flavored and thickened with Marshmallow plant sap. -
The Marshmallow Plant
19th century doctors extracted juice from the marshmallow plant's roots and cooked it with egg whites and sugar, then whipped the mixture into a foamy meringue that later hardened and was used as a medicinal candy for sore throat. This plant can be found in salt marshes and on banks near large bodies of water. -
Making Marshmallow Candy
Until the mid 1800s, marshmallow candy was made using the sap of the Marshmallow plant. -
Alex Doumak
In 1948, Alex Doumak, a marshmallow manufacturer, began experimenting with different methods of marshmallow making. Doumak was looking for ways to speed up production and discovered the "extrusion process," which revolutionized marshmallow production. -
Peeps
In 1953, the Just Born candy company bought the Rodda Candy Company. Rodda produced a handmade candy marshmallow chick and Bob Born of Just Born loved the way the marshmallow chick looked. A year later in Bob Born had a machine made that would mass-produce marshmallow chicks, which he trademarked Peeps. -
Vanilla Peeps
In 1999, vanilla flavored Peeps were produced and a year later, a strawberry flavor was added. In 2002, a chocolate Peep was introduced. -
Peeps Today
Today, Just Born produces more than one billion individual Peeps per year. In a year, more than 700 million Marshmallow Peeps and Bunnies are consumed by men, women, and children throughout the United States.
