A Brief History of Chocolate

It's Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, the old Celtic New Year, said to be a day for human sacrifice among the Druids, the holiday that paid for your dentist's BMW. Traditional activities for Halloween include Halloween festivals, costume parties, bonfires, visiting "haunted houses", viewing horror films, and, of course, trick-or-treating. The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.

While chocolate is a poor substitute for ale, it is the treat of choice these days. This week, a brief history of chocolate.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin." - Linus Van Pelt in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, as written by Charles Monroe Schulz (20th-century American cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip, 1922 – 2000)

Brief History of Chocolate

Elixir Sulfanilamide tragedy

In June 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the Food and Drugs Act. The Act prohibited, under penalty of seizure of goods, the interstate transport of food which had been "adulterated", with that term referring to the addition of fillers of reduced "quality or strength", coloring to conceal "damage or inferiority," formulation with additives "injurious to health," or the use of "filthy, decomposed, or putrid" substances.

The Chemistry Bureau's (the forerunner of the FDA) authority was soon checked by judicial decisions. A 1911 Supreme Court decision ruled that the 1906 act did not apply to false claims of therapeutic efficacy; other court decisions set high standards for proof of fraudulent intent.

By the 1930s, muckraking journalists, consumer protection organizations, and federal regulators began mounting a campaign for stronger regulatory authority by publicizing a list of injurious products which had been ruled permissible under the 1906 law, including radioactive beverages, cosmetics which caused blindness, and worthless "cures" for diabetes and tuberculosis. The resulting proposed law was unable to get through the Congress of the United States for five years, but the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) was finally signed into law by another President Roosevelt (Franklin Delano) on June 25, 1938.

What caused Congress to finally agree and send to bill to the President? The public outcry over the 1937 Elixir Sulfanilamide tragedy, in which over 100 people died after using a drug formulated with a toxic, untested solvent. This week, we look at this horrible moment in US history.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong." - Leo Buscaglia (US author & lecturer, 1925 - )

(scroll over or click on iPaper below to have a drop-down menu that includes a print option)

FDA Elixir Sulfanilamide

Lentils

Lentils were probably one of the first pulse crops to be domesticated and originated in the fertile crescent of the Near East, indicating they date back to the beginnings of agriculture itself. The earliest carbonized remains (10,000 years old) were unearthed on the banks of the Euphrates River in Northern Syria. Genesis 25:29-34 tells us that Esau sold his birthright to his slightly younger twin brother Jacob in exchange for a "mess of pottage" (meal of lentils).

From a nutritional standpoint, they're rich in iron and fiber, and an important source of protein for many across the globe. This week, to celebrate our continued production of Lentil Soup, a look at lentils.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Eliminate something superfluous from your life. Break a habit. Do something that makes you feel insecure." - Piero Ferrucci (psychotherapist and philosopher)

(scroll over or click on iPaper below to have a drop-down menu that includes a print option)

Lentils

Food Allergies

A food allergy, or hypersensitivity, is an abnormal response to a food that is triggered by the immune system. True food allergies affect a relatively small percentage of people, but it is extremely important for people who have true food allergies to prevent those allergic reactions because these reactions can cause devastating illness and, in some cases, be fatal.

Although an individual could be allergic to any food, such as fruits, vegetables, and meats, there are eight foods that account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions: eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, wheat, tree nuts (which include almonds, macadamias, pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, Brazils, pine nuts, chestnuts, and pistachios), fish and shellfish, commonly referred to as the Big 8 here in the US. Canada includes sulfites and sesame seeds, the European Union adds celery/celeriac and mustard, and in Japan they add buckwheat and highly recommend listing items such as oranges, crab, kiwifruit, beef, poultry, pork, mushrooms, peaches, yams, apples and gelatin.

Whew. I think I'm allergic to allergen lists.

This week, a look at food allergy myths versus facts.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is one piece of advice, in a life of study, which I think no one will object to; and that is, every now and then to be completely idle - to do nothing at all." - Sydney Smith (English essayist, 1771 - 1845)

(scroll over or click on iPaper below to have a drop-down menu that includes a print option)Food Allergies - Just the Facts

A Short History of Canning.

It's been to war, it's been to space, it's saved countless lives, and it's in your cupboard right now. Canning is the unsung essential of modern life. Without this indispensable method of preserving and packaging food, civilization would never have ventured beyond the local food supply. Canning changed the way the world eats and revolutionized the food industry.

To celebrate the official start of Canning here in Medford, this week we'll look at a short history of canning.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Buy the ticket take the Ride." - Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (US journalist, 1939 - 2005)

(scroll over or click on iPaper below to have a drop-down menu that includes a print option)

Short History of Canning