Fluff: The Sticky Sweet Story of an American Icon

by Mimi Graney

At the turn of the twentieth century, Boston was a booming candy town. Of all the tantalizing treats, nothing has stuck around like Marshmallow Fluff. Since that time, the small, family-run company Durkee-Mower has churned out a century of Fluff with the secretive air of Willy Wonka. Little has been made of this extraordinary legacyuntil now.

Genres: Food, History, Nonfiction, Food History

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a surprisingly interesting and enjoyable book. While the focus is, of course, on Marshmallow Fluff, Graney explores the history of various forces and events that lead to Fluff's creation and have effected it over it's 100 year history. There's a nice discussion of Boston's history as a candy-making center, which I didn't know about, plus a mention of the Great Molasses Flood, one of my favorite bits of local history. There are histories of radio programs, the expansion of grocery stores into national supermarket chains, the effects both World Wars had on Fluff, and much more. Graney's thesis is that Fluff is a microcosm of America in the last hundred years, and certainly it is fascinating to see how the plucky marshmallow brand spread from my hometown to the whole world. A late chapter mentions how Fluff is branded differently in Japan, with an emphasis on all the things you can do with it, rather than just the Fluffernutter sandwich. And speaking of that childhood classic, apparently the makers of Fluff hold the trademark on the name. There's a lot of fun trivia here and a number of photographs and reproductions of advertising materials. Plus, there's a handful of recipes spread throughout. Overall, it's a surprisingly fun and informative little book, and I've gained a new appreciation for something that to me has been a weird little detail of New England life before now. I'm not sure how interesting this will be for people outside of New England, but certainly it's an excellent book for any New Englanders curious about the history of one of our lesser known signature foods, and I'm glad my local library has a number of copies.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Fluff. And the Fluffernutter has always been one of my favorite sandwiches from childhood - even to this day I will pack one for sustenance on a hike as it affords a good source of portable calories. That being said, I never realized until adulthood, when I lived outside of my home state of Massachusetts, that there were portions of this country which not only failed to sell Fluff in its stores (the horror!), they weren't even aware of the culinary joy that is Fluff. This was quite disturbing to this New England born and raised gal - don't they realize what they are missing out on?

Graney's work of historical nonfiction was therefore a delight on so many levels. Of course it discuses the history of how this condiment and baking staple developed into such an iconic representation of fun and sugary indulgence from its meager beginnings as a door-to-door sold good within the streets of metro Boston. But it also features a well researched discussion of the history of New England candy making, the changes to the manner in which food was sold to the public over the decades, the influence of early radio advertising, and the effect of competitors, in addition to the people behind Dukee-Mower company which manufactures Fluff to this day. This book would appeal to not only those who have held a long love of Marshmallow Fluff, but also anyone looking to read about an interesting sidebar of Boston/New England history of the late 19th century and those with even a passing interest in anything passingly retro. Excuse the food pun but this truly is an easy to swallow read packed with tons of sweet tales that will wet your appetite for iconic Bostonian history, all while munching on a Fluffernutter to boot. Yum.

[Quyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book about history where the author zooms in on the map of the nation and shows us
how the large&dramatic events such as industrialization, world wars, and economic depressions affected and shaped Boston(as well as New England) specifically; and vice versa, the significant roles Boston and its products Fluff played in the history of the nation, and the world.

Fluff is a very informative yet compelling book where I have learned so much about the history sugar & industrialization, women at work, small businesses, home economics and science, the born and raise of marketing, branding, sponsoring, store-owned brands as well as grocery chains etc. I haven't purchased a jar of Fluff crème and don't remember seeing them in grocery stores, but can't wait to join the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the invention of Fluff on Saturday, September 23rd, 2017 and get to know more about this iconic product of Boston.

[Lorianne DiSabato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of pop culture and kitchen kitsch will love the look of this book, which is filled with black-and-white photos of Fluff ad campaigns, the Flufferettes musical troupe, and vintage packaging. The text, unfortunately, isn't as fun as I'd hoped. This is an exhaustive history of all-things-Fluff, so the narrative sometimes gets mired in tangential facts. Fluff was invented in Somerville, Massachusetts, so there's a brief history of candy-making in Boston, including the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. Fluff contains sugar, so there's a brief history of sugar. Fluff was advertised on the radio, so there's a brief history of commercial radio. These historical anecdotes are individually interesting, but they slow the pace of the book. I would have enjoyed this book more had there been more Fluff and less filler.

[Danielle Ngo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and enjoyable read, filled with 1) well-researched back stories 2) timely and illustrative ads and newspaper clippings 3) many anchors for someone to enter the story of Fluff. I lived in Boston for three years as a grad school transplant, so I had very little idea of Boston's role in the confectionery industry and the importance of Fluff to New England culture. I enjoyed reading about Boston/New England history through the eyes of Fluff, a refreshing departure from general Revolutionary War-era history a la Freedom Trail. Graney organized the book well to include angles of labor and home economics, manufacturing and production, marketing and sales, and the human component among the entire history of Fluff. It makes me regret never eating a Fluffernutter during my time in Boston.

[Mary Rude · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute little book -- a very easy read, but packed with a lot of interesting historical tidbits, photos, and vintage advertisements. I loved that the author did a great job placing the invention of fluff within the historical context of Boston's 19th century and early 20th century reign as the capital of candy. This is definitely a book that works best for someone from the area, since it references a lot of local neighborhoods and buildings. Since I am from Massachusetts, I genuinely enjoyed all these references and even feel inspired to go find some of the places. This is a very enjoyable book for anyone who loves marshmallow fluff or is just interested in the history of Greater Boston.

[George Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book. I found it a little slow (and not that interesting) during the middle - very much details of advertising etc in the 30s through 60s. It picked up at the end. Mimi Graney is a good writer, which makes it move along. I think I would have liked to hear a bit more of the story of the people actually working on the factory floor - what is it like there? Also, in my household (and I assume others), Fluff is controversial - I grew up with it and love it, but my wife thinks it's disgusting with no saving grace whatsoever. It would have been nice to hear a bit about that. But those are nits, it's a nice book and I learned a bit.

[Darlene Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for everyone, but a must for food science geeks. The book is about Fluff, its origins and history, but it is also about the candy industry and the food supply chain in the US from colonial to present day. Did you know that after the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to drinking chocolate instead, but gave it up after the War when it seemed to be too elitist? Or, that explosions and occupational health issue were not infrequent in early chocolate factories because of all the food particles in the air? You would if you read this book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it would be a fun little book about one of my favorite foods, but it was more than that. There is a short history of candy making in the Boston area, kitchen gadgets and equipment inventions, factory modification through the 20th century, food advertising, Boston radio stations, and home economics.

[Kristin Bateman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, local read.

[Nicole Perkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun, fairly local-to-me history :)

[Andrea Cinnamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about Massachusetts' candy manufacturing industry from the early 1900's to present day.

[A'Llyn Ettien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having never heard of Fluff until I came to New England, I immediately saw the need to catch up on local history when I saw this book. Interesting, quick read. Kind of makes me want candy and Fluff.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prepping for virtual Fluff fest

[Lauren Glowacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting history of our favorite Marshmallow spread! A local New England company with modest beginnings and has stayed true to its roots.

[Rona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit of local history, American history, food history, and marketing history. Sweet! There is a local beginning to Fluff that gave rise to an annual the festival. How did that happen? Read the book! Consider coming to the festival, too.
I will be making the recipe on page 190 with my jar of Fluff. If you don't have the book handy:
https://www.marshmallowfluff.com/cate...