Marsh-Mallow Syrup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the roots
Cut marsh-mallow roots into small pieces and bruise them in a mortar.
Make the syrup
Boil the bruised roots in 1½ pints of water until reduced to 1 pint.
Strain the mixture to clear it.
Add 1 pound of sugar and finish cooking until the syrup reaches the desired consistency.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Marsh-mallow roots
- Release mucilage into the water, giving the syrup a thick, soothing body.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, as it cooks down, thickens the liquid into a syrup.
The step that matters
Finishing the syrup to the desired consistency. Sugar concentrates as water evaporates, so the syrup thickens quickly near the end. Stopping too early leaves it thin, while overcooking makes it stiff and may crystallise as it cools.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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