A flowering plant with soft, heart-shaped leaves and pink or white flowers, historically used for medicinal purposes. The marshmallow plant is a type of mallow.
From Arabic خُبَّازَة (khubbāza), referring to the mallow plant family. The word entered English through Latin malva and Old French malve in the 13th century. The Arabic name relates to the plant's use as food and medicine.
The fluffy marshmallow treats we know today were originally made from the root of the mallow plant! Ancient Arabs and later Europeans extracted a gummy substance from mallow roots to create the first marshmallows, long before corn syrup and gelatin took over.
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