S'more

{{Short description|Confection of toasted marshmallow and chocolate}}

{{Infobox food

| name = S'more

| image = Smores-Microwave.jpg

| caption = A s'more made with graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate

| alternate_name =

| country = United States

| region =

| course =

| type =

| served =

| main_ingredient = Graham crackers, chocolate, marshmallows

| variations =

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}}

A s'more (alternatively spelled smore, pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|m|ɔː|r}}, or {{IPAc-en|s|ə|ˈ|m|ɔː|r}}) is a confection consisting of toasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham crackers. S'mores are popular in the United States and Canada, and are 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,{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Gladys |url=http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.31822031036296?urlappend=%3Bseq=21 |title=A Book of 150 Recipes Prepared with Campfire Marshmallows |date=1920s |publisher=The Campfire Company |location=Cambridge, Mass. |page=21 |hdl=2027/uc1.31822031036296?urlappend=%3Bseq=31 |access-date=2015-08-07}} 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.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M5zkAAAAMAAJ&q=%22some+more%22 |title=Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts |publisher=Girl Scouts |year=1927 |page=71}}{{Cite news |date=1925-09-09 |title=Patrol Leaders Have Outing |work=Norwalk Hour |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hWAvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1-AFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2458,2551556&dq=some-mores+camping&hl=en |quote=1925 mention of "Some-mores" being introduced as a new dish at Camp Andree}} Newspaper recipes began appearing as early as 1925.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107355645/news-from-kamp-kiwani-at-hardy/|title=News From Kamp Kiwani at Hardy|date=August 16, 1925|work=Memphis Commercial Appeal|access-date=August 10, 2022|page=39|via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107356005/scout-troop-letters-birmingham/|title=Scout Troop Letters|date=August 30, 1925|work=The Birmingham (Alabama) News|access-date=August 10, 2022|page=17|via=Newspapers.com}}

The contracted term "s'mores" appears in conjunction with the recipe in a 1938 publication aimed at summer camps.{{Cite book |last=Gibson |first=William Henry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QBhDAAAAIAAJ&q=s%27more |title=Recreational Programs for Summer Camps |publisher=Greenberg |year=1938 |page=17}} 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".{{Cite book |last=Crocker |first=Betty |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bB0JAAAACAAJ |title=Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls |publisher=Golden Press |year=1957 |location=New York |page=72|isbn=9780764526343 }}

The 1958 publication Intramural and Recreational Sports for High School and College makes reference to "marshmallow toasts" and "s'mores hikes",{{Cite book |last1=Leavitt |first1=Norma |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hQ8XAAAAIAAJ&q=Intramural+and+recreational+sports+for+high+school+and+college |title=Intramural and recreational sports for high school and college |last2=Price |first2=Hartley D. |publisher=Ronald Press Co. |year=1958 |page=151}} as does its related predecessor, Intramural and Recreational Sports for Men and Women, published in 1949.{{Cite book |last1=Leavitt |first1=Norma |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AlZr2CBio_0C&q=Intramural+and+Recreational+Sports+for+Men+and+Women |title=Intramural and Recreational Sports for Men and Women |last2=Price |first2=Hartley D. |publisher=A.S. Barnes |year=1949 |page=150}}

Preparation

File:Grillning av marshmallows - panoramio.jpged marshmallows cooking over a campfire]]

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. This process relies on radiative heat transfer, a cooking method that does not require direct contact between the heat source and the marshmallow. {{cite web | url=https://www.scienceofcooking.com/how-is-heat-transferred-in-cooking.html | title=How is heat transferred during cooking? }} 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.{{Cite web |title=Smores Recipe - How To Make Smores |url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/Smores/Smores.htm |website=WhatsCookingAmerica.net|date=May 13, 2015 }} An additional step may follow, wherein the entire sandwich is wrapped in foil and heated so that the chocolate partially melts.{{Cite web |last=Walter |first=Megan |date=2018-10-20 |title=How To Make Melt-In-Your-Mouth S'mores Over A Campfire |url=https://www.thethings.com/how-to-make-the-best-smores/ |access-date=2019-11-22 |website=TheThings.com |archive-date=February 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216224508/https://www.thethings.com/how-to-make-the-best-smores/ |url-status=dead }}

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. Contemporary recipes can substitute other foods, such as potato chips, Nutella, and Peeps for the classic ingredients.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/08/dining/best-smores-recipe.html|title=The Perfect S'more Is Practically Burned and a Little Salty|date=August 10, 2022|first=Tanya|last=Sichynsky|work=New York Times|access-date=August 10, 2022|page=D3|via=nytimes.com}}