CoverTitleCopyrightContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Burden of Bread: Bread before Baking Powder2. The Liberation of Cake: Chemical Independence, 17963. The Rise of Baking Powder Business: The Northeast, 1856-18764. The Advertising War Begins: "Is the Bread That We Eat Poisoned?" 1876-18885. The Cream of Tartar Wars: Battle Royal, 1888-18996. The Rise of Baking Powder Business: The Midwest, 1880s-1890s7. The Pure Food War: Outlaws in Missouri, 1899-19058. The Alum War and World War I: "What a Fumin' about Egg Albumen," 1907-19209. The Federal Trade Commission Wars: The Final Federal Battle, 1920-192910. The Price War: The Fight for the National Market, 1930-195011. Baking Powder Today: Post-World War II to the Twenty-First CenturyGlossaryAppendix: Baking Powder Use in CookbooksNotesBibliographyIndex
Linda Civitello teaches food history in southern California. She is the author of Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People, winner of the Gourmand Award for Best Food History Book in the World in English (U.S.).
Included in "The Ten Best Books about Food of 2017,"
Smithsonian.com
"Civitello connects the story of baking powder to much larger
themes in American history, offering illuminating insights into how
racial prejudices influenced branding and marketing practices in
the baking powder industry. . . . Foodies and culinary enthusiasts
will find much to mine."--The Wall Street Journal
"Food historian Civitello tells a complicated and sordid tale of
corporate mischief that will surprise many readers."--Booklist
"Readers interested in food and business will appreciate this
well-researched book. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice
"It's just an innocuous white powder in a can at the back of the
closet. Or is it? Linda Civitello’s history shows how baking powder
precipitated vicious competition in big business, raised concerns
about chemical adulterants in food, and transformed home cooking.
Without baking powder, there would be no fluffy cakes and pancakes,
no biscuits, no muffins, and no cookies, in short, no American
cuisine as we know it."--Rachel Laudan, author of Cuisine and
Empire: Cooking in World History
"Linda Civitello's carefully researched book has finally opened a
window onto a fascinating subject and era in U.S. history. . . .
Baking Powder Wars provides fascinating insights into a unique
American product."--The Rambling Epicure
"[A] meticulously researched history."--Orlando Weekly
"You’ll never look at baking powder quite the same way
again."--Smithsonian Magazine
"With Baking Powder Wars, Linda Civitello takes her readers on an
interesting and learned journey about a little-known subject: The
history of leavening agents. I'm grateful for this detailed
backstory on what makes bread rise to the occasion."--Adrian
Miller, author of the James Beard Award-winning book Soul Food: The
Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time
"Well written and insightful, Baking Powder Wars is a model of
superb scholarship and is essential reading for a wide spectrum of
scholars, including those interested in food studies, women's
studies, American studies, business, and advertising." --Journal of
American Culture "A provocative and gripping story of industrial
espionage, nineteenth century business barons, and baking powder.
Linda Civitello has a rare talent for pitch-perfect storytelling.
This is not just a food lover's book, but will also appeal to
anyone interested in economics and history. Foodies, meanwhile,
will savor the fascinating facts, tantalizing trivia, and action
and intrigue sprinkled throughout. You'll savor every
crumb!"--Francine Segan, author of Dolci: Italy's Sweets
"A thrilling tale of food business, especially the wonderful
chapter seven, about the shenanigans of corrupt businessmen and
politicians.”--Bruce Kraig, coeditor of The Chicago Food
Encyclopedia
"Who knew that baking powder has such a complex history, one full
of political intrigue, gender wars, health scares, and race
relations? In this meticulously researched and entertainingly told
book, Linda Civitello chronicles the evolution of home baking in
America, along the way highlighting the roles of figures like Teddy
Roosevelt and Lincoln Steffens in abetting baking powder’s
successful rise."--Darra Goldstein, founding editor of
Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture
"Baking Powder Wars is an insightful and fascinating account of the
advent and subsequent struggle for legitimacy of one of today’s
most widely used ingredients in both home and commercial baking.
Linda Civitello succeeds in making what might have been an
academically dry topic come alive with erudition, grace, and
humor."--Nick Malgieri, author of Bake!
"Linda Civitello has mined her subject thoroughly and documented
how it changed American baking to satisfy our hurry-up attitude
toward life and food in general, as we embraced a quick and easy
solution to the tiresome problem of supplying the family table.
Along the way, Civitello records in detail the fundamental history
of a business that is almost uniquely American--the baking powder
business. Who knew that baking powder could be such a rich
resource?"--Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of Virgin Territory:
Exploring the World of Olive Oil
"Baking powder was not a topic high on my interest level before I
read this book, but I'm fascinated by the subject now. A great job
of getting into the topic and placing it in a broader
perspective."--Andrew F. Smith, editor of The Oxford Encyclopedia
of Food and Drink in America
Ask a Question About this Product More... |