THE MOST DIVISIVE DISH AT MY HOLIDAY TABLE ISN’T THE BRUSSELS SPROUTS OR THE GREEN BEANS — IT IS THE CANDIED SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE.

Some might say that melted marshmallows have no place in the main course, particularly not on top of a vegetable. Others might say candy improves everything it touches. What both sides of this debate miss is that the roots of the culinary tradition lie in a rather unassuming weed that grows on the edge of salt marshes and perhaps the first celebrity food influencer ever.

The marshmallow plant, Althaea Officinalis, lives on the edges of briny water and grows to about a meter tall. It has small, pale pink flowers and pointy, velveteen leaves. For thousands of years, the plant has been used as a form of herbal medicine for treating coughs, healing wounds, and soothing souls in the form of candy, specifically marshmallows.

“Ancient Egyptians invented marshmallows,” Jeffrey Miller, associate professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University, tells Inverse. “They made them from the gummy root of the marshmallow plant.”