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The Mallomar
by
Maggie Van Ostrand |
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Those
not in the know, call a Mallomar a "cookie." Poor things. They don't
know any better. "Cookie" is not a descriptive word for a Mallomar,
nor is cracker, nor dessert, nor any other nomenclature yet created
by man. Mallomar is a Mallomar is a Mallomar, and that's the way it
is.
There's no way you could make Mallomars yourself. It's impossible,
so forget about it. You have to seek the double box with the shiny
yellow wrapper displaying a picture of the contents on the outside.
Die-hard Mallomar fans have been known to suck on this picture, once
the Mals were gone.
An enormously appealing quality about the chocolate coating is its
crunch. It's imperative that the Mallomar is not cracked when the
box is opened, or the crunch is deflected and becomes merely a thwarted
thud. You see, a Mallomar's chocolate exterior is more of a crust
than a coating. Or even more accurate would be the word "mantle."
It has a mantle of chocolate.
Besides being ambrosia of the gods, the individual history of the
Mallomar's ingredients ignite the imagination almost as much as their
combined ingredients tantalize the palate. |
CHOCOLATE
Few foods cause
such a passionate reaction at the mention of their name as does chocolate.
That's all you have to say to see that glazed look in someone's eyes,
a look usually reserved for lovers. Just the word "chocolate" evokes
rolling waves of warm and comforting feelings that transcend age,
gender, nationality, and time itself.
Chocolate existed long before the Hersey family ever wrapped their
kisses in silver foil, before England's Cadbury made the first edible
chocolate bar in 1847, and even before the Three Wise Men trekked
across the desert with gifts. Scientists have recently discovered
residues of cocoa, the basis for chocolate, in pots dating to 900
B.C. and perhaps even earlier. In all probability, the first chocoholics
were the Mayans.
The latest data supporting the Mayans obsession with chocolate comes
from ceramic vessels found at an archaeological site in Central
America, suggesting that liquid chocolate may have been poured back
and forth from jug to jug to produce the froth that was considered
by the Maya and the Aztecs to be the best part of a chocolate drink.
It's easier to quit booze, smoking and caffeine, than to think you'd
never have another taste of chocolate in your life. Chocolate has
frequently been given a bad rap, like it causes acne, heart problems
and tooth rot. Not so. If you've got zits, they're probably from
being the zit age, plus the University of Pennsylvania could find
no correlation between chocolate and acne. Regarding bad teeth,
one of the ingredients in chocolate (cocoa butter) might even prevent
tooth decay by protectively coating the teeth. As to heart problems,
University of California, Davis, has found that chocolate carries
high levels of chemicals known as phenolics, some of which may help
lower the risk of heart disease. So there.
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MARSHMALLOW
An equally crucial
component to the Mallomar is marshmallow. Where does this word come
from? It's simple -- A mallow is a type of shrub whose cousins are
hibiscus, okra, and cotton. Okay, that's the second half of the word.
The first half is where the mallow grows. In a marsh. A confection
is made from the root of the marsh mallow.
The mallow was first found in an Olde English medical book written
about 1000 A.D. and it was spelled merscmealwe.
Aside from toasting them over campfires and melting them atop holiday
yams, the marshmallow was pretty limited in appeal. Until the Mallomar.
The same can be said for the round graham cracker base of a Mallomar.
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GRAHAM
CRACKERS
For the round
base of the Mallomar, we can thank an early 19th-Century Presbyterian
clergyman named Sylvester Graham. Born in Connecticut in 1794, Graham
studied at Amherst College and was ordained to the ministry when he
was in his early 30s.
A man of decided opinions, Graham's major convictions concerned
what people ate and drank. An ardent advocate of the temperance
movement, the Reverend Mr. Graham was absolutely convinced of the
merits of eating only vegetables. He also believed people who didn't
eat meat wouldn't drink alcohol.
"Christianity, temperance, and vegetarianism" became his cry, and
he attracted an avid following of believers. In the mid-1800s, many
big cities had Graham Boarding Houses, testaments to healthy living
as directly related to healthy eating.
Graham bread and Graham crackers caught on big time. They used only
wheat flour, which Graham had prepared especially. As people practiced
what he preached, the demand for the flour grew until it became
available to the public, and his name was forever associated with
it.
The Mallomar, as we know it today, could not have existed without
him.
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These
facts are interesting for one reason. You have to have chocolate and
marshmallow and Graham crackers to make Mallomars, those delectable,
delicious, divine dumplings of desire. One Mallomar is too many and
a thousand are not enough.
Because their makers know that warm weather is bad for the product
and at the very least takes the distinctive sheen off the chocolate,
they're sold only in the winter months, from October to May. This
makes it difficult if you live on the west coast where there is no
winter to speak of. They're more of a New York thing and when you're
born and raised there, you can get the bends by moving west where
Mals are not easy to come by.
Made since 1913 by Nabisco (then called the National Biscuit Company)
in a single Pennsylvania bakery, Mallomars have a thick layer of rounded,
smooth marshmallow on a circular Graham cracker base, all covered
in pure dark chocolate. Because of the manner in which the chocolate
is poured over the marshmallow and Graham cracker, there's a nipple
atop the Mallomar. This only adds to the legend of the Mallomar --
the ultimate comfort food. Oh Mama!
For the impatient Mallomar fanatic, a fast bite of all three parts
simultaneously results in a rush of integrated flavors flooding the
taste buds simultaneously. A quick thrill, which necessitates a second
Mallomar immediately. This can cause an addition for which the Bette
Ford Center has no known remedy.
For the discerning fanatic, a slow embrace of teeth on chocolate is
the preferred method of enjoyment. First, the sound triggers one's
imagination. Is it the sound of you as a child with boots cracking
the layer of ice over snow on a wintry morning, or the click of high
heels on a marble floor? Then comes the texture -- rich, dark, sensual.
If Denzel Washington were a food, he'd be that. The succulent marshmallow
can either be allowed to slowly melt in one's mouth, or squished sweetly
and tantalizingly between one's tongue and the roof of one's mouth.
Or between the teeth, if nobody is watching.
For the method eaters, there are at least three wondrous ways to enjoy
a Mallomar. Eater number one enjoys the Mallomar in three to four
bites and it's gone forever; Eater number two separates the Graham
cracker base and eats that first, followed by the remaining chocolate-covered
marshmallow which can be eaten either right-side up or down. Some
enjoy the cracking sound more if it's made with the bottom teeth.
Eater number three is the highest Mallomar aficionado -- He can get
the chocolate off without denting the marshmallow. This takes years
of practice. Like living a good life, it's not the result that counts,
it's the journey.
Those not in the know may easily say the Mallomar is just a cookie,
but that's like saying Fred Astaire was just a dancer. |
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