/oss/taxonomy/term/2809/all en /oss/article/holiday-treat-marshmallows-and-hot-chocolate <p>Believe it or not, the tasty marshmallows we know are inspired by a plant, a perennial that grows up to about four feet high. Its root has a soft and spongy texture and looks like lung tissue, which led to its use in the treatment of lung conditions. Usually, the root was extracted with hot water, sweetened, aerated, and allowed to cool to form the spongy mass. Crystallization was inhibited because the root contains a high percentage of mucilage, carbohydrates which interfere with crystal formation. Today, some people still use marshmallow tea to soothe inflammation.</p> Thu, 10 Dec 2020 01:54:37 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8524 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/hot-cocoas-black-sludge <p>If you've made hot cocoa with powder, you've probably experienced the dark sludge at the bottom of the cup. This chocolate goop seems unavoidable, despite being absolutely certain that you dissolved all the powder when you first stirred your drink. For years I thought I was just a bad stirrer, but it turns out that the sludge actually forms as the drink cools down. As the hot cocoa cools, the solubility of the hot chocolate powder is reduced. This means that the amount of powder you can dissolve in a mug full of water or milk is lessened.</p> Tue, 10 Oct 2017 18:01:10 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 4255 at /oss