S'more
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A s'more is a traditional campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada, consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a slab of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker.
S'mores are associated with recreational camping. Part of the enjoyment of this simple dessert is the way in which it is made on such camping trips. A marshmallow is skewered on the end of a long stick and held just above the campfire until (according to personal preference) its outer surface starts to brown, char, or even catch fire. Once heated, the marshmallow's inside becomes soft. The marshmallow is quickly pinched off its stick with the waiting graham crackers. Ideally, the heat from the roasted marshmallow partially melts the chocolate into a gooey mess. However, some people assemble the entire s'more on the stick and cook it all at once, to ensure gooey chocolate.
Making s'mores in this manner is so popular that supermarkets will often carry graham crackers, marshmallows, and huge chocolate bars in the same shelf section during the summer months. Many s'more chefs will set the waiting Graham cracker and chocolate near the campfire to help melt the chocolate.
In recent years "S'More Kits" for making the treats on the kitchen table at home have been sold at housewares stores. These consist of a small heating element to cook the marshmallow (possibly Sterno), metal skewers and a lazy susan to hold the "raw" ingredients. These are similar to fondue sets.
Different items sold as s'mores may be found in restaurants, prepared at home, or even bought ready-made. These confections usually contain the three ingredients of graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow, but they are not necessarily heated or served in the same shape as the traditional s'more.
A ready-made version, satisfying to the flexible s'more enthusiast, is the Mallomar cookie.
The American restaurant chain Così is known for serving s'mores.
[edit] Etymology
S'more appears to be a contraction of the phrase, "some more", as in "Please, give me some more of that delicious treat." The informal nature of this term reflects the environment in which s'mores are traditionally served. Some have jokingly surmised that the name originated from people who were so busy eating the tasty dessert that they did not have time to speak in complete sentences, or alternately, that their enunciation was compromised by the fact that their mouth was still full of the aforementioned s'more.
[edit] Origins
The origin of this popular campfire dessert is unclear, but the first recorded version of the recipe can be found in the Girl Scout Handbook of 1927, or by someone in Camp Fire Girls, since the Hershey company, based in Pennsylvania, was surrounded by Camp Fire Girl groups since it was founded nearby.
