Story Behind the Card - Massachusetts and it's love for Fluff
With the annual What the Fluff Festival taking place in Somerville, Massachusetts, this weekend, the birthplace of Fluff, we are experiencing some serious FOMO. If we weren't 400 miles away, we would definitely be there. So we thought: what better time to tell you the story behind the cards inspired by this delicious marshmallow treat?
What the fluff?
If you didn't grow up in New England like I did, maybe you didn't count the hours until lunch when you could open your Hong Kong Phooey lunchbox to find a delicious Fluffernutter sandwich.
Actually, this was just a fantasy of mine, because I was cursed with a mother who was a dietician. Sorry, love you, Mom! I usually had a rice cake with peanut butter and raisins, and I can tell you, no kid wanted to trade lunches with me. But I was so jealous of those kids whose moms packed a Fluffernutter in their lunchbox.
What is a Fluffernutter, you ask?
A very important question.
The Fluffernutter finally received its due in 2021 when it was crowned the official state sandwich of Massachusetts. And honestly? It was about time.
A Fluffernutter is simple, really. You take two pieces of bread—white bread is best, because let’s face it, no one is reaching for whole wheat when marshmallow fluff is involved.
On one side, you slather on a generous layer of creamy peanut butter. On the other, an equal amount of sweet, ooey, gooey marshmallow fluff. Put the two sides together and—voilà!—you have a sandwich.
A sandwich that is technically lunch.
A sandwich that is also basically dessert.
A sandwich that probably wouldn't pass the nutritionist test, but we're not here to judge.
It's pure childhood nostalgia in sandwich form, and really, what kid wouldn't love it? (Or what grown-up wouldn't happily eat one while pretending they're making it for the kids?)
And if you're going to go Fluffernutter, go all the way. I highly recommend a side of potato chips for that perfect combination of salty, sweet, crunchy, and creamy. Because if you've already committed to peanut butter and marshmallow fluff between two slices of white bread, there is absolutely no reason to start making responsible decisions now.
The Story Behind marshmallow fluff
If you want to do a deep dive into Fluff, I highly recommend the book Fluff: The Sticky Sweet Story of an American Icon by Mimi Graney. I read this cover to cover on a flight to San Francisco, and it was a fascinating look into the history of Fluff and candy-making in Massachusetts. I seriously gave it 5 stars!
But if you don't have that kind of time, here's the quick recap. The sticky sweet stuff, he called Marshmallow Creme, was invented by Archibald Query in his Somerville kitchen in 1917. Archibald sold it door to door, but WWI put a damper on sugar production, and he sold the recipe in 1920 to Allen Durkee and Fred Mower. The two businessmen rebranded it as Toot Sweet Marshmallow Fluff, and they began mass-producing it in nearby Lynn, MA. This eventually became the Marshmallow Fluff we know and love today.
Another earlier inventor of Marshmallow Creme, which she called Snowflake Marshmallow Creme, was Emma Curtis of Melrose, MA. During the war, Emma published a recipe for a sandwich on oat bread with peanut butter and marshmallow, which she called the Liberty Sandwich in 1918. It was a response to requests to eat less meat during wartime. So patriotic! This is believed to have been the origin of the beloved sandwich
The Fluffernutter Sandwich
Because of its association with wartime and rationing, the peanut butter and fluff sandwich fell out of favor for many years. Until an advertising agency rebranded the sandwich as a nutritious treat, calling it a Fluffernutter and giving it new life in the 1960's.
Nostalgic for Marshmallow Fluff
Marshmallow Fluff is still made today by Durkee and Mower using the same simple recipe invented by Archibald Query back in 1917. And with New Englanders ever nostalgic for Fluff, it remains a popular snack, with National Fluffernutter Day taking place on October 8th. The What The Fluff Festival, taking place this weekend, is celebrating its 21st year. New Englanders have been going crazy, standing in line for the Fluffy Seagull Latte at the Lighthouse Keepers Pantry on Cape Cod. They make about 300-400 a day at the height of the season, going through 30 pounds of Fluff each day.
Try a fluffernutter
If you haven't tried a Fluffernutter, we highly recommend you give it a try. And if you have, tell us your favorite Fluff memories. If you want to send someone a nostalgic reminder of this tasty treat, well, we just might have a card for that!
