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| The Original S'more |
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| Did You Know? S'mores got their name from frequent requests for "some more" whenever they were made. |
| The S'more is a wonderful Girl Scout tradition that started way back in the 1920's. The first publication of the '"Official S'more Recipe" was in the Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts Girl Scouts of the USA, 1927 |
| HOW GIRLS MAKE S'MORES (1) Place Hershey bars on graham crackers. (2) Toast marshmallows. (3) Place toasted marshmallows on Hershey bars to melt chocolate. HOW BOYS MAKE S'MORES (1) Eat Hershey bars. (2) Eat marshmallows. (3) Throw graham crackers at other boys. |
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| Updated 1/03/04 |
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| Other S'mores Pages Main Page Recipes Crafts Products Other Websites Graphics - coming soon |
| Dates to Remember: July 7th Chocolate Day August 10th National S'mores Day August 30th National Toasted Marshmallow Day |
If you camp, you know all about s'mores. These warm satisfying energy-packed chocolate treats are ubiquitious. Who invented the first s'more? No one knows. We do know the three primary ingredients (graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars) were readily available to the American public by the late 19th century and very popular in the early 20th. American cookbooks, food history sources, and newspaper/magazine articles confirm these ingredients were used on a regular basis, but fail to provide us with a definative person, place, and date for the invention of the s'more. Why? Until very recently, camping recipes [with the exception of military foods] were typically passed on by personal journals and word of mouth. The best we can do on the history of s'mores is start with the oldest documented "proof" and hopefully, in time, work our way backwards. Where did the idea come from? Victorian-era cookbooks contain recipes for "sandwich cookies," soft sponge-cakes filled with jam or cream fillings. American cookbooks published in the early decades of the 20th century contain recipes for chocolate sandwiches (cool) and marshmallow sandwiches (warm). American food companies were combining marhsmallows, graham crackers and chocolate in the 1910s. These were wildly popular. · Mallomars (1913) · Moon Pies (1913) "S'mores. A confection made from graham crackers, marshmallow, and chocolate heated until the contents melt. The word "s'mores"--always used in the plural--is short for "some mores," referring to one's appetite for more than just one. It is a cookie said to be particularly popular at Girl Scout's campfire cookouts." ---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 298) The director of the National Historic Preservation Center, Girl Scouts of the USA kindly provided this information: We don't really have a history of how or when some-mores (or S'mores) were invented. Our records show only that they appeared first in our 1927 book Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. The 1927 recipe for "Some More" calls for "16 graham crackers, 8 bars plain chocolate (any of the good plain brands broken in two), and 16 marshmallows." "Some More" 8 sticks (for toasting the marshmallows) 16 graham crackers 8 bars plain chocolate (any of the good plain brands, broken in two) 16 marshmallows Toast two marshmallows over the coals to a crisp gooey state and then put them inside a graham cracker and chocolate bar sandwich. The heat of the marshmallow between the halves of chocolate bar will melt the chocolate a bit. Though it tastes like "some more" one is really enough. The 1940 Girl Scout Handbook has a recipe for one "Some Mores" that calls for "4 squares plain chocolate (thin), 2 graham crackers, and one marshmallow. This recipe may be varied by using slices of apple (cut cross-wise) in place of the graham crackers; by using pineapple slices or peanut butter in place of chocolate." Our 1947 GSA Handbook confirms this recipe adds these instructions: "Some-Mores (serves 1) 4 squares plain chocolate (thin) 2 graham crackers 1 marshmallow Toast marshmallow slowly over the coals until brown. Put chocolate on a graham cracker, put the toasted marshmallow on top, then another graham cracker. Press gently together, and eat. Taste like "some more." This recipe may be varied by using slices of apple (cut cross-wise) in place of the graham crackers; by using pineapple slices or peanut butter in place of chocolate." ---Girl Scout Handbook [Girl Scouts of the United States of America:New York] 1947 (p. 316) We do not really know that the Girl Scouts were the first to make and enjoy S'mores, but we also don't know of any earlier claims to this special treat. We also do not know when the name of this treat got shortened. Recipes for "Some Mores" are in various Girl Scout publications until at least 1971. |
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