As mentioned in my last post, gourmet marshmallows are something of a food trend right now. I make them, as do a number of other confectioners, and some small companies specialize in nothing but fluff.
Foodie blog The Nibble took a detailed look at marshmallows and even conducted a taste test of several brands. So far my own marketing study has been limited to one brand, because I saw on their website that they could be found at a high-end supermarket here in Portland. And, well, I was driving past there earlier today. I won't reveal the brand name, because I don't want it to seem like I'm ragging on a competitor -- if you Google "gourmet marshmallows" you'll find them easily enough.
To my surprise, the Vanilla Bean Marshmallows offered by Company X are ... well ... not great.
The size is fine -- 1" square, as opposed to my 1 1/2" size -- small enough to float atop a cup of cocoa, big enough to make two nibbley bites straight out of the bag. They're nicely light, with a pleasant chewiness.
The problem is the flavor.
They taste, to be perfectly honest, like the marshmallows one finds in Lucky Charms cereal.
The package says that the marshmallows are "all natural," and if you look at the nutritional info on the company's site, it lists the following: Sugar, Honey, Corn Syrup, Water, Gelatin, Ground Vanilla Beans, Natural Vanilla Extract, Salt, Corn Starch, Powdered Sugar.
But, marshmallows in hand, a peek at the back of the bag tells a slightly different story: Sugar, Honey, Corn Syrup, Water, Gelatin, Ground Vanilla Beans, Natural Vanilla Extract, Natural Marshmallow Flavor, Salt, Corn Starch, Powdered Sugar. Hmm. Slight difference there. Yes, that was "natural marshmallow flavor" I tasted, all right. Blech.
Now, by FDA standards, I have no doubt that these marshmallows are, indeed, "all natural." But in reality, there's a bit of chicanery going on here. Because there's no such thing as natural marshmallow flavor. Unless this company has access to magical marshmallow trees that ooze marshmallow juice ... but I've never heard of them. And before some smarty-pants brings it up, marshmallows haven't been made from the actual mallow plant (Althaea officinalis) in a very, very long time.
There's a Code of Federal Regulations that defines, in painfully detailed terms, what can legally be called a "natural" flavor. It goes, in part, like this: "... a natural flavor is the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional."
All of which means that a natural flavor must be produced from a natural substance. If it's not -- if it's entirely created from chemicals in a lab -- it's artificial.
What it doesn't require is that the flavor actually be derived from the substance that it tastes like. "Natural apple flavor" doesn't have to come from apples, for example. It could be made from liver, or fermented eggs, or beet juice -- as long as the origin is something found in nature, it's "natural." Some flavors, like the "natural blue cheese flavor" added to cheese puffs, are derived from petroleum distillates. Vanillan, a cheap version of vanilla flavor, is extracted from the by-products of wood processing.
Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, explained it this way: "A natural flavor is not necessarily more healthful or purer than an artificial one. When almond flavor -- benzaldehyde -- is derived from natural sources, such as peach and apricot pits, it contains traces of hydrogen cyanide, a deadly poison. Benzaldehyde derived by mixing oil of clove and amyl acetate does not contain any cyanide. Nevertheless, it is legally considered an artificial flavor and sells at a much lower price. Natural and artificial flavors are now manufactured at the same chemical plants, places that few people would associate with Mother Nature."
Mmmm, tasty! And, in some cases, they can cause unpleasant allergic reactions because people have no idea what, exactly, theyre ingesting
I have to admit, it was disappointing to be assaulted by such a nasty, artificial taste when I bit into my "gourmet marshmallow." I fully expected to be disheartened by the superiority of this (apparently quite successful) competitor's product. The whole problem with their candy is that they use flavorings that are artificial, no matter what the FDA says. And you can taste 'em.
I use whole vanilla beans and real Tahitian vanilla extract in my marshmallows, because I honestly want them to taste good. I don't want to save money by adding wood-pulp-derived fake vanilla and "marshmallow flavor" and then turn out a product that's less than the best I can make. I also dip them in chocolate or roll them in toasted coconut rather than offer them plain, because the best way to keep naked marshmallows from sticking together is to coat them in corn starch, which creates a rather unpleasant dusty sensation on the lips -- another problem with these gourmet marshmallows that I purchased.
The reason for this diatribe isn't to thump my chest and claim that my marshmallows are the best on the market. I haven't tried any of the others, and some of them sound quite marvelous. It's really to point out something that's bothered me for a long time -- that "natural flavors" often aren't, and slapping the words "all natural" on a label when the makers know full well that they're spiking their product with fake flavors is unethical.
Something as simple and as fun as a marshmallow shouldn't be hiding any unpleasant secrets, you know?