Thanksgiving Marshmallow Casseroles Wouldn't Have Happened Without A Marketing Ploy
While the Thanksgiving holiday features more than a few iconic dishes, a sweet potato casserole is one of the most recognizable classics. Soft, creamy, and decadent, the dish has taken on a slew of delicious variations with sweet brown sugar glazes to chopped pecans folded into the mix. No matter what you add, almost every sweet potato casserole comes complete with a gooey smattering of marshmallows sprinkled on top of the orange hues.
According to the National Grocers Association, dishes like these are so beloved that over 50 million pounds of root vegetables are sold around Thanksgiving every year. While you may consider a sweet potato casserole a timeless dish for its presence on your table, the origin of the food is not so historic. When you think about it, marshmallows were probably not much of a hot commodity in 1621 when the first Thanksgiving feast took place. According to History, sweet potatoes were not available in America at that time. So, where did this tradition come from? While you may expect a sweet potato casserole to have been the brainchild of a professional chef or a family experimenting with dishes before the holiday, it's actually not so. There's an unlikely source to thank for the invention of the sweet side.
How marketing changed the face of sweet potato casserole
The idea for candied sweet potatoes comes straight out of the marketing industry. Before marshmallows were ever incorporated into casseroles, the little confectionary treats were seen as a delicacy of their own. According to The New York Times, marshmallow baskets were a very common sight at Thanksgiving celebrations in the early 20th century, per Atlas Obscura. As times changed though, people began to view marshmallows less as a standalone treat and more so as an ingredient. So, what changed?
The shift in perspective became the subject of an advertising trade journal in 1915 called Advertising and Selling. Per Advertising and Selling, the way we used marshmallows changed due to the way it was advertised. The company credited with starting this trend was Bunte Brothers' marshmallows, according to Atlas Obscura. Bunte Brothers changed the narrative surrounding the treat with a multiplatform endeavor where marshmallows were making appearances in recipe books, on billboards, newspaper ads, and other displays.
After the word was out about marshmallow dishes, it started a chain reaction. According to Saveur, shortly after the spark was lit, the first known recipe for sweet potato casserole was released in 1917 by Angelus Marshmallows. Although the treat had appeared in similar forms before then, suddenly, candied sweet potatoes were everywhere.