With summer upon us, seasonal foods such as squash, watermelon, blackberries and peaches may come to mind.
But another staple that is ubiquitous with summer is s’mores.
My first s’mores experience was indoors, in Florida, roasting a marshmallow over the stove.
But my true s’mores encounter was in upstate New York, using a firepit in a relative’s backyard one summer, surrounded by fireflies.
I finally felt like I got to partake in a true summer tradition, as opposed to the makeshift firepit on the stove.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with indoor s’mores – you can make them in an air fryer, microwave, oven or even enjoyed raw (unroasted marshmallow).
But the experience and memories of the outdoor version eclipsed the times I’ve made them indoors.
Who can we thank for this delectable, addictive treat?
The Girl Scouts of course – and the Industrial Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution allowed for marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers to be mass produced in the late 1800s and early 1900s, leading to chocolate and marshmallow treats, such as Mallomars and Moonpies, which are closely related to s’mores.
Before that, marshmallows and chocolate were only for the wealthy because it took so long to make.
With machinery, they could be cheaply made and became widely available.
But the history of the graham cracker is an interesting one.
Their original taste and ingredients have no semblance to the version we know today, as they were actually considered a health food initially.
They were invented by a Presbyterian minister from Connecticut, Sylvester Graham.
He believed that one’s diet was connected to their moral purity, and therefore, encouraged people to eat cleanly to maintain a pure lifestyle.
In the 1830s, he created an unsifted flour that used all the parts of the wheat (basically, a whole wheat flour).
The graham cracker had this flour, bran, oil, molasses and salt.
That was it – no honey, cinnamon, or other flavoring agents.
He thought this bland cracker would be good for the soul.
However, they did not become popular until much later, once bakers started experimenting with other ingredients and adding cane sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Essentially, the opposite of what Mr. Graham was going for.
By the 1890s, the National Biscuit Company (now Nabisco) introduced the first mass-produced graham crackers, according to Redstone Foods.
Now we use graham crackers not just in s’mores, but in pie crust, cheesecake, topped with peanut butter, cream cheese, cookie bars, parfaits and so much more.
I’m sure Sylvester Graham is rolling over in his grave.
As for s’mores, they came around about 30 years after the graham cracker was first mass produced.
The original name was Some More, as described in a 1927 Girl Scout manual.
A troop leader named Loretta Scott Crew is credited for the official recipe published in this book, and it took off from there.
The name “s’more” was first found in the 1938 book “Recreational Programs for Summer Camps.”
Today, there are s’mores flavored Pop Tarts, martinis, cereal, protein bars, ice cream and more.
Clearly, Americans love their s’mores.
So the next time you’re making s’mores, whether it’s around a campfire or in your home kitchen, you have a little history lesson to share.
Shari Bresin is the Family & Consumer Science Agent for the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Pasco County, An Equal Opportunity Institution.