10種擁有美妙歷史的現代食物(10):棉花糖
1.棉花糖
To better understand where the marshmallow came from, you must first understand that the name ‘marshmallow’ is a combination of ‘marsh’ and ‘mallow’. It refers to the Mallow plants that grew around marshes; hence the name.
爲了更好地理解棉花糖從哪而來，你必須要理解棉花糖的名字，“棉花糖marshmallow”是由marsh（沼澤）和mallow（錦葵）組成。它是指生長在沼澤中的錦葵，這就是它的名字。
This specific plant was harvested in Egyptian times. They did not merely eat it for its sweet flavour, however. Back then, Egyptian doctors were convinced that marshmallow was an effective way of curing a sore throat in children, which sounds like a medication a child would never reject. In fact, it’s thought that this miracle medicine was eaten by richer kids as a treat, rather than a cure.
這種特殊的植物在埃及時代豐收。但人們不是僅僅爲了食用它的甜味。當時，埃及的醫生相信，沼澤中的錦葵可以有效地治療兒童咽喉疼痛，孩子似乎不會拒絕這種藥。實際上，人們認爲，富人家的孩子吃這種神奇的藥作爲消遣，而不是治療疾病。
As for the marshmallow as we know of it today, the root goes back to 1800s France, where it was pushed as a treat for kids and adults alike. Then, in 1948, Alex Doumak created a way to make the little delights in a way that was completely automated, allowing the sweet treat to be produced efficiently.
至於今天我們所知道的棉花糖，要追溯到19世紀的法國，它很受孩子和成年人的喜愛。到1948年，Alex Doumak發明了一種方法使這種小甜品的生產完全自動化，提高了它的生產效率。
While the marshmallow is treated as a candy rather than medicine, it wouldn’t hurt to buy a big bag and ‘experiment’ for yourself next time you catch a cold.
儘管棉花糖成爲了一種糖果而非藥品，但你下次感冒的時候買上一大包自己“試驗”一下也不會有害。
