
Eben Norton Horsford, baking-powder revolutionary and passionate medievalist - hoffmannesque
http://www.quidplura.com/?p=10474
======
RobertRoberts
There are a few old books available on Google books about baking-powder and
leavening agents. I found it facinating to learn that this is relatively new
technology. [0]

Also, that there were (early 20th century) huge industry wars and cartels over
baking powder [1], a strange story. (I couldn't read all 2000+ pages of this
though)

Another interesting side effect of researching this topic is running into
bread made with combining an unleavened dough with carbonic acid inside a
vacuum to "insta-rise" the bread. (can't find the reference now, buried in one
of those really old books) The claims were it was "healthier".

Last semi-related topic, cereal Grapenuts from Post, was originally sold as a
health food, not a breakfast cereal. [2] (worked with a guy that spent years
at Post) It's made from huge loaves of bread turned into those little dried
crumbs.

Cream of tartar is a dry acid scraped from the barrels from wine making.[3]
Makes you wonder who tried this stuff first.

[0] Leavening Agents (1914)

[https://books.google.com/books?id=1jQNAAAAYAAJ&printsec=fron...](https://books.google.com/books?id=1jQNAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover)

[1] The Baking Powder Controversy (1907, over 2000 pages long...)

[https://books.google.com/books?id=fIbZAAAAMAAJ&printsec=fron...](https://books.google.com/books?id=fIbZAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover)

[2] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape-
Nuts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape-Nuts)

[3]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bitartrate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bitartrate)

~~~
sexydefinesher
Sometimes you just have to appreciate that we live in a world where someone
can make a 2000-page book on baking powder wars in the 1900s.

------
kwhitefoot
Thanks, that was a fascinating read.

