An Ode to S’mores on National S’mores Day
There are few treats more universally loved than the humble s’more — a staple of campfire circles and sweet summer nights. Simple, unpretentious, and comfortably uniform, the s’more is the ultimate a symbol of the months between Memorial Day and Labor Day — a mascot of summer camps and forest getaways, fireside chats, and late-night sleepover snacking.
As a kid, I savored the treats on weekend trips to campgrounds deep within the Colorado woods, the smell of ash, pine, and burning sugar mingling in the air as my family’s delighted faces were painted orange in the firelight. As a college student, my roommates and I would throw bonfire parties in our backyard and offer s’mores fixings alongside bottles of cheap spirits and cans of Bud Light. Guess which one the partygoers were more excited for? Goes to show, no matter the age, every one wants s’more s’mores.
More: Graham Cracker Swaps That’ll Instantly Upgrade Your S’mores
Though there have certainly been attempts to upscale, urbanize, and even “pimp out” the treat, s’mores are still best in their most essential three-part form: graham cracker, providing crunch and stability; chocolate, lending a warmth and richness; and marshmallow, bringing the oozy, saccharine fun. (Side note: If you don’t think ‘mallows are best served burnt to a crispy black, you are, in this writer’s opinion, wrong.)
Although the s’more itself is simplistic in nature, its origin is more complex. The first published appearance of the graham cracker-chocolate-marshmallow mashup, then aptly named the “Graham Cracker Sandwich,” was in a book of recipes distributed by the Campfire Marshmallows company in the early 1920s.
More: Campfire Sweets Beyond S’mores
I call this the “urban s’more” a.k.a. one I made over the stove burner in my apartment.
In 1927, a cookbook titled “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts,” published a recipe for the popular treat and named them “Some Mores”— because seriously, who can stop at just one?
After that, a spattering of cookbooks and stories used the contraction “s’more,” including the 1963 “Outing Activities and Winter Sports Guide,” which stated, “By now, readers who watch their weight are probably rising in protest since none of these recipes could conceivably be called low calorie. But after all, camping trips are supposed to be fun. Why not relax, enjoy yourself, and have s'more?” (A statement that I agree with 100 percent, btw.) However, it wasn’t until 1974 that the s’more got its official stamp of lexical approval with an induction into the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
More: Caramel Popcorn S’mores Krispie Squares Recipe
Of course, over the years the s’more has come to mean big summer money for brands like Honey Maid and Hersey’s, which even introduced a limited-edition S’mores candy bar in 2004 and later, a Smoresfun website to capitalize on the favorite summer treat.
Other brands have cashed in on America’s s’mores obsession, as well, from Oreo’s s’mores flavor to Starbucks’ very own campfire in a cup.
However, despite this monetary element, there is still something endearingly unassuming about the s’more. For most, at the very least, s’mores are a fun, approachable, inexpensive snack. But for many, s’mores are much more — a time machine of sorts, a link to a shared past, one of fleeting summer nights and starry, smoke-filled skies.
Recently, I got a hankering for the treat and set about making some in the small kitchen of my Brooklyn apartment. Roasting the marshmallow over the flame of my gas stove, I knew it wouldn’t quite be the same as one charred over a campfire. However, as I took a bite, reveling the familiar crunch and ooze, I swear, for just a second, I could smell a hint of ash and pine.
Happy National S’mores Day!
Here’s s’more s’mores ideas from Yahoo Food:
We’re calling it: S’mores is the flavor of the summer
5 ways to pimp out your s’mores
6 instant ways to upgrade your s’mores
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