A s'more (alternatively spelled smore, pronounced /ˈsmɔːr/, or /səˈmɔːr/) is a confection consisting of toasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. S'mores are popular in the United States and Canada, and traditionally cooked over a campfire.
Etymology and origins
S'more is a contraction of the phrase "some more". The first known s'more recipe appeared in a "Campfire Marshmallows" cookbook in the early 1920s,[1][2] where it was called a "Graham Cracker Sandwich". The text indicates that the treat was already popular with the Boy Scouts, Campfire Girls and Girl Scouts. In 1927, a recipe for "Some More" was published in Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.[3][4] Newspaper recipes began appearing as early as 1925.[5][6]
The contracted term "s'mores" appears in conjunction with the recipe in a 1938 publication aimed at summer camps.[2] A 1956 recipe uses the name "S'Mores", and lists the ingredients as "a sandwich of two graham crackers, toasted marshmallow, and ½ chocolate bar". A 1957 Betty Crocker cookbook contains a similar recipe under the name "s'mores".[7]
The 1958 publication Intramural and Recreational Sports for High School and College makes reference to "marshmallow toasts" and "s'mores hikes",[8] as does its related predecessor, Intramural and Recreational Sports for Men and Women, published in 1949.[9]
S'mores are traditionally cooked over a campfire, although they can also be made at home over the flame of a wood-burning fireplace, in an oven, over a stove's flame, in a microwave, with a s'mores-making kit, in an air fryer, or in a panini press. A marshmallow, usually held by a metal or wooden skewer, is heated over the fire until it is golden brown. Traditionally, the marshmallow is gooey but not burnt, but, depending on individual preference and cooking time, marshmallows can range from barely warm to charred. The roasted marshmallow is then sandwiched between two halves of a graham cracker and a piece of chocolate (or with chocolate on both top and bottom), between the graham crackers.[10] An additional step may follow, wherein the entire sandwich is wrapped in foil and heated so that the chocolate partially melts.[11]
Various confections containing graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow are often sold as some derivative of a s'more, but they are not necessarily heated or served in the same shape as the traditional s'mores. The Hershey's S'mores bar is one example. Kellogg's Pop-Tarts also feature a s'mores variety. In the UK, the lack of graham crackers is easily improvised with digestive biscuits with a slab of Cadbury's chocolate. Chocolate digestives have a major advantage when lacking a piece of chocolate. Contemporary recipes can substitute other foods, such as potato chips, Nutella and Peeps, for the classic ingredients.[12]
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