Twinkie, Deconstructed

[Guest guest]

I'm forwarding this from the Path of Health . It sounds like an interesting read.

Althea

 

In a message dated 3/7/07 3:46:18 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, PathOfHealth writes:

 

11a.

New book: "Twinkie, Deconstructed"

Posted by: "Laurie Masters" lauriem gstapestry

Tue Mar 6, 2007 12:44 pm (PST)

Check out this book ... I love the concept! when his young daughter asked, "Daddy, what's polysorbate 60?" he was at a loss-and determined to find out. Laurie -------------------------http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594630186/ref=pe_pe_5070_4987500_pe_snp_186Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats (Hardcover) by Steve Ettlinger (Author)Book Description: A pop-science journey into the surprising ingredients found in dozens of common packaged foods, using the Twinkie label as a guide Like most Americans, Steve Ettlinger eats processed foods. And, like most consumers, he often reads the ingredients label-without a clue as to what most of it means. So when his young daughter asked, "Daddy, what's polysorbate 60?" he was at a loss-and determined to find out. From the phosphate mines in Idaho to the corn fields in Iowa, from gypsum mines in Oklahoma to the vanilla harvest in Madagascar, Twinkie, Deconstructed is a fascinating, thoroughly researched romp of a narrative that demystifies some of the most common processed food ingredients-where they come from, how they are made, how they are used-and why. Beginning at the source (hint: they're often more closely linked to rock and petroleum than any of the four food groups), we follow each Twinkie ingredient through the process of being crushed, baked, fermented, refined, and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder with a strange name-all for the sake of creating a simple snack cake. An insightful exploration into the food industry, if you've ever wondered what you're eating when you consume foods containing mono- and diglycerides or calcium sulfate (the latter, a food-grade equivalent of Plaster of Paris) this book is for you. Editorial Review From Publishers Weekly: In this delightful romp through the food processing industry, Ettlinger, who writes on consumer products (The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores), says, "Believers of urban legends take note.... Twinkies are not just made of chemicals," nor will their ingredients allow them to last, "even exposed on a roof, for 25 years." But what exactly their ingredients are, and how they come from places like Minnesota and Madagascar to be made into what Ettlinger calls "the uber-iconic food product, the archetype of all processed foods," is the subject of his book. Each chapter looks at individual ingredients, in the same order as on a Twinkie package, so Ettlinger finds himself traveling to eastern Pennsylvania farms to study wheat, as well as to high-security plants that manufacture highly toxic chlorine used in minute amounts to make the bleached flour that is "the only kind that works in sugar-heavy" Twinkies or birthday and wedding cakes. His exploration of the manufacturing processes of cellulose gum ("perfect for lending viscosity to the filling in snack cakes-or rocket fuel"), for example, cleverly reveals how Twinkie ingredients "are produced by or dependent on nearly every basic industry we know." (Mar. 1) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.