November Mappy Hour DC was the last outdoor Mappy Hour of 2015 and we wen’t out in style at the REI Community Outpost at Wunter Garden. The night centered around the campfire with s’mores, campfire cooking, and storytelling.
The official talk of the night focused on the History of S’mores with appearances from a Reverend, the girl scouts and even the USDA. Here are a few take-aways:
THE HISTORY OF THE S’MORES
-Early 1900’s: Marshmallows, chocolate and sweetened Graham crackers all became low-priced, mass produced commodity’s so campers like ourselves could afford the ingredients (in the past marshmallows especially were a food only for the very rich).
-Graham Crackers were available in the 1800’s but were generally a bland, unsweetened product invented by Reverend Sylvester Graham as part of a “pure” diet he believed would quell certain carnal urges.*
*Shoutout to November 2014 Mappy Hour NYC presenter Matthew Wills for this article on the history of the Graham cracker.
-1927 was the first public evidence of the “Some Mores” by non other than delicious dessert mavens: The Girl Scouts (it wasn’t until years later that the contraction “s’more” gained popularity)
–A 2011 article in Smithsonian Magazine argues that the s’more is one of the most distinctly American desserts as only some of the ingredients have history elsewhere.
-May 2015: USDA recommends we should take away chocolate & marshmallowsand add strawberries & yogurt instead
Along with learning the history of s’mores and eating them heartily, there was a backcountry cooking “pitch competition” with awesome prizes from REI! Some of the finalist names included:
- Better than your Home Cooked Meal
- Taste of Italy in the Outdoors
- Not Your Average Mountain Meat
Thanks to everyone who joined – we can’t wait to see you next month.
