The Baking Powder Revolution: Creating an Edible American Identity

Culinary Historians of New York
presents
"The Baking Powder Revolution: Creating an Edible American Identity"
with
Linda Civitello
Monday, February 13, 2012
Baking powder is an overlooked, invisible ingredient. Yet it revolutionized American cooking, created fortunes, and spawned a vicious trade war that lasted more than fifty years.
The invention of baking powder marked a scientific revolution as profound as the ancient discovery of fermentation that created leavened bread. Feeding a particularly American need for speed, baking powder made many baked goods easier and faster to prepare, allowing Americans to increase their consumption of sugar, flour, and fat. Baking powder also created a new industry with huge profits and one of the most bitter trade wars in history, which eventually brought down several political figures. Join us as Linda Civitello explores the history of this fascinating ingredient. Refreshments will be served.
Linda Civitello is the author of the award-winning book "Cuisine and Culture: a History of Food and People" (Wiley, third edition, 2011), which is used to teach food history in culinary schools throughout the U.S. and Canada. She has spoken at institutions ranging from Harvard to the Getty Museum on topics ranging from "The Mediterranean Diet, Ancient to Modern;" "Food and French Identity on Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow;" and "Bond App