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One of the popular domestic desserts, which is equally loved and useful for adults and children, is pastille. [1]. For the first time this product was prepared in the 14th century in Kolomna according to a recipe that was kept in the strictest confidence. [2]. The creators of the delicacy were the monks, who at that time miraculously managed to turn apples into a dish resembling sweet clouds.

Only in the 18th century, when marshmallows began to be produced at merchant production, the product became available to all residents of Rus’. [3][4]. Today, the dessert is distinguished by ease of preparation, simplicity of ingredients and incredible usefulness, which is preserved due to the composition and the absence of high-temperature heat treatment of this sweet. [5][6].

Composition, benefits and calorie content of dessert

Pastila differs not only in incredible taste compared to other desserts, but also has great benefits. The fact is that the delicacy is prepared by baking or drying, which helps to preserve all the useful substances in the dessert – vitamins, minerals, trace elements contained in fruits and berries.

Most sweet desserts often have in their preparation formula some substances useful for the human body, but marshmallow is different in that it contains a lot of chemical elements, without which the normal functioning of the body is impossible.

The apple is the basis of the classic marshmallow and one of the most essential fruits for health. Apples and their derivatives, including the aforementioned dessert, are rich in fiber, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, organic acids, proteins, vitamins A, B, C, as well as iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iodine and copper. [7]. Eating apples and products from them, including apple marshmallow, is extremely important for people suffering from disorders of the cardiovascular system, metabolism, anemia [8]. By adding puree from other berries and fruits to applesauce in the manufacture of this dessert, you can provide the body with other beneficial substances. [9][10].

Fruit purees at the base of marshmallow are distinguished by increased tonic properties for the human body. Sugar from fruits is much faster than any other glucose, it contributes to energy production and increases muscle activity. Honey, which is also added to sweets, perfectly increases metabolism, normalizes energy and synthetic processes, and contributes to the rapid removal of incoming sugar into the blood.

The fiber contained in marshmallow thanks to fruits helps to cleanse the body of toxins, improves digestive processes, normalizes intestinal motility, slows down the absorption of cholesterol and protects the cardiovascular system of the body.

Some substances with a gelling effect during its industrial production can also be included in the marshmallow. As a rule, it is agar-agar and pectin. Agar-agar is a product obtained from seaweed rich in iodine and phosphorus. [11]. These substances are especially valuable for the human thyroid gland, but their benefits are also noticeable in stabilizing the liver. With the help of pectin, it becomes possible to cleanse the human body of heavy metals, pharmacological preparations and toxic substances. Pectin restores the protective functions of the body and removes harmful substances that enter from the outside, and also has a beneficial effect on the human gastrointestinal tract.

Marshmallow contains a huge proportion of protein, known for its properties to act as a building material for muscle tissue. But the most important is the fact that this dessert is a source of valuable vitamins – PP or niacin and B2 or riboflavin.

Due to the high sugar content, pastille is a high-calorie food product. The dessert contains about 320 kilocalories per 100 grams of the finished product. [12].

Harmful properties of treats

As noted above, marshmallow contains a lot of sugar, so many people need to be especially careful when eating it, since its composition can provoke obesity or aggravate diabetes. In addition, a huge percentage of sugar in marshmallow negatively affects tooth enamel, provoking the occurrence of caries.

Modern methods of preparing this dessert include the use of all kinds of sugar syrups, as well as dyes and preservatives, which can neutralize all the beneficial qualities of sweetness and lead to poisoning and allergic reactions.

Homemade dessert

At home, you can cook marshmallow not only from berries or fruits, but also from vegetables. Vegetable marshmallow is very useful, it can be used by people who are contraindicated in sugar, for example, diabetics, or those who want to lose weight. The whole process of making homemade marshmallows comes down to chopping berries, vegetables or fruits in a blender, mixing them with honey and laying them out on a pre-oiled baking sheet for drying.

It is important to remember a few important points when preparing dessert:

  1. When using natural honey, and not sugar syrup, marshmallow should be dried at a temperature not exceeding 45 degrees.
  2. Honey must be taken one that does not have a pronounced aroma and is well able to crystallize. So, for example, buckwheat honey for marshmallow is not suitable because of a too pronounced aroma that can kill all the flavors of fruits, and acacia honey because of a too liquid texture that dries poorly. Rapeseed honey is ideal for homemade marshmallows.
  3. Fat for lubricating the form where the marshmallow will be dried must be chosen without a pronounced smell, otherwise it will kill all the flavors of the dessert base.
  4. Vegetables and fruits for marshmallows can be divided into fragile and viscous. Fragile vegetables or fruits dry out too quickly, so the treat rarely turns out to be the consistency it should be. But viscous, on the contrary, dry for too long and may not hold their shape.
  5. To get a delicious marshmallow, you need to correctly combine viscous and fragile vegetables and fruits in one recipe, then the dessert will turn out to be the most delicious.
  6. You do not need to add honey or sugar syrup to the tomato marshmallow, just twist the peeled tomatoes in a blender and put the marshmallow to dry.

Learning how to cook delicious and healthy marshmallows is not at all difficult. If necessary, such a dessert can be given a try to both a child and a person who consumes sugar to a limited extent, because in home cooking you can independently vary the amount of sweet added to the product, thereby increasing its usefulness, and sometimes enhancing the pleasant taste [13].

Sources of
  1. ↑ Popular science magazine “Chemistry and Life”. – Pastila and marshmallows.
  2. ↑ Official website of the museum in Kolomna. – Museum “Kolomenskaya Pastila”.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia. – Pastilla.
  4. ↑ National competition of regional food brands “Tastes of Russia”. – Belevsky pastila.
  5. ↑ Electronic fund of legal and regulatory and technical documentation. – Interstate standard (GOST): pastille confectionery products.
  6. ↑ Forbes.ru magazine. – Products are the heroes of Russia.
  7. ↑ U.S. Department of agriculture. – Apples, raw, with skin.
  8. ↑ Institute for the promotion and preservation of the diversity of chemical compounds, Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI). – Apples and cardiovascular health.
  9. ↑ Scientific electronic library “CyberLeninka”. – Research on improving the recipes of marmalade-pastile products.
  10. ↑ Scientific electronic library “CyberLeninka”. – The use of non-traditional raw materials in the production of pastille masses.
  11. ↑ Electronic journal platform for science and technology information in Japan J-STAGE. – Investigation on agar as to its iodine content.
  12. ↑ Calorie counting site Calorisator. – Apple pastille.
  13. ↑ Office of the Federal Service of the Russian Federation for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare. At what age can children be given sweets.

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