Today is National Fluffernutter Day! Have you ever had a fluffernutter? It is a sandwich with peanut butter and Fluff (or marshmallow crème). It is a childhood favorite for many children in New England. When Hazel was in third grade we went to the Lynn Museum on a school trip. It was there that I learned about the history of Fluff. I thought today I would share some fun facts about Fluffernutters and Fluff with you!
1. Fluff is made with the same recipe that was used when Archibald Query "invented" it in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1917. He sold it door-to-door in Somerville until World War I caused him to stop due to the rations on sugar. He sold his recipe to two veterans H. Allen Durkee and Fred Mower for $500. At the time Fluff was selling for $1 per gallon and now you can get 16 ounces for $2-$3.
2. Fluff is made from four ingredients: sugar, dried egg whites, corn syrup and vanilla.
3. Durkee and Mower started to produce and sell it under the name Toot Sweet Marshmallow Fluff in 1920. In 1929 they bought a factory in Lynn, Massachusetts, but had to move to a bigger building five years later because of the company's growth. In the 1950s they moved to another factory that they designed specifically for making and jarring Fluff. They are still in this factory today. The factory is in Lynn still.
4. Fluff is the only thing Durkee Mower produces. They did produce hot chocolate until 1962.
5. In the late 1940s they surveyed housewives to create the correct jar for Fluff. The jar has not changed much since this time.
6. There were other marshmallow crème makers. In fact the Limpert Brothers in New Jersey fought Durkee Mower for the rights of the name Fluff. In the end they decided to share the rights.
7. Snowflake Marshmallow Crème was their biggest local competitor. It was made by Emma Curtis in Melrose, Massachusetts. Emma Curtis is the great-great-great granddaughter of Paul Revere.
8. It was Emma Curtis who first made the fluffernutter. She called it a Liberty Sandwich during World War I and published the recipe in a promotional pamphlet in 1918. It was high protein and made on oat or barley bread. It is simply peanut butter and marshmallow crème spread on two pieces of bread.
9. An ad agency coined the term "fluffernutter" for Durkee Mower in 1960. In 2006, Durkee Mower sued Williams Sonoma for trademark infringement for calling a chocolate covered marshmallow and peanut butter candy under the Fluffernutter name.
10. During World War II sugar was rationed again. Instead of changing the recipe Durkee and Mower decided to cut the production. They used percentages for how much distributors would receive to keep it fair. They also used some of their factory to help in the war effort. They wrapped electronic and optical parts in waterproof packaging. The parts were for planes, guns and vehicles. They also advertised and promoted victory gardens.
11. In 1956 Durkee Mower collaborated with Nestle and now a recipe for fudge can be found on every jar of Fluff and every package of Nestle chocolate bits. In 1966 they teamed up with Kellogg's with the recipe of Rice Krispie Treats.
12. Every year the city of Somerville, Massachusetts holds the "What the Fluff?" Festival honoring the hometown of Fluff.
13. Fluff is sold around the world including in Japan, Canada, Russia, Germany and other parts of Europe. About 7 million pounds of it is sold each year and 50% of the sales come from New England and upper New York state.
14. Fluff has been to space. Sunita Williams took three containers with her to the International Space Station.
15. In 2006 a Massachusetts state representative tried to make the fluffernutter the state sandwich twice. She failed both times. Another state representative tried to ban Fluff from all school lunches. He also failed.
A Little More Fluff History--display at Lynn Museum
So do you love a Fluffernutter? Do you have a favorite recipe with Fluff? I would love to have you share it!
