Cookie Ingredients Click on the ingredients your cookies require to learn more about where they come from. Flour Eggs Sugar Baking Soda Chocolate Peanut butter Butter Salt Brown Sugar Vanilla Extract Macadamia Nuts Oatmeal Raisins Walnuts Pecans
CookieIngredientsClickontheingredientsyourcookiesrequiretolearnmoreaboutwheretheycomefrom.
Flour Eggs Sugar BakingSoda Chocolate
Peanutbutter Butter Salt BrownSugar VanillaExtract
MacadamiaNuts Oatmeal Raisins Walnuts Pecans
Exampleflourbrandsandwheretheycomefrom:
AboutFlour:Flourisapowdermadefromgrindingcerealgrains,seedsorroots.Flouristhemainingredientinbreadandcookies.Itsimportantroleinmakingbreadmakestheavailabilityofadequatesuppliesofflouraeconomicandpoliticalissuethroughouthistory.
History: Flourwasdiscoveredin900BCwhenitwasrealizedthatitcanbecreatedwhenwheatseedscouldbecrushedbetweensimplestones.Romanswerethefirsttogrindseedsonaconemill.InthebeginningoftheIndustrialerain1879thefirststeammillwaserectedinLondon.
FunFact: Flourdustsuspendedintheairisexplosive.Somedevastatingexplosionshaveoccurredatflourmills,suchastheexplosionin1878attheWashburn“A”Mill,inMinneapolis.
KingArthurFlour:Norwich,Vermont
PillsburyBestFlour:Minneapolis,Minnesota
NewHopeMillsFlour:NewHope,NewYork
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ExamplesofEgg‘brands’andwheretheycomefrom:
AboutEggs:Eggsarelaidbythefemalesofmanyspeciessuchasbirds,reptiles,amphibiansandfish.Eggshavebeeneatenbymankindformanymillennia.Themostcommoneggscurrentlyeatenandusedincookingarechickeneggs.
History:Birdeggshavebeenvaluablefoodsourcessinceprehistory.Recentcultureshavedomesticatedtheeggproductionprocess.ItispredictedthatthechickenoriginatedasajunglefoulinSoutheastAsiabeforeittraveledthroughouttheworld.In1911thefirsteggcartonwasinventedinBritishColumbia.Itwasmadeofpaper.
FunFact:DuringthesecondWorldWartheNewYorkTimesreportedthathousewivesinBostonpreferredbrowneggsandhousewivesinNewYorkpreferredwhite.
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EggsfromCalifornia
LocalEggsfromyourneighborhoodfarmerEx:WindyRidgeDairyinNorwoodNewYorkUseGoogletofindalocalfarmclosetoyou!
Examplesofsugarbrandsandwheremostsugarcomefrom:
AboutSugar:Sugarisatermreferringtoaclassofediblecrystallinecarbohydratestructuresthatarecharacterizedbytheirsweettaste.Sugarinthefoodindustryoftenreferstosucrosewhichisfullyrefinedfromsugarcaneorsugarbeet.CurrentlyBrazilhasthelargestsugarproductionpercapita.
History:SugarhasbeenproducedinIndiasinceprehistorictimes.Itwasveryexpensiveandnotplentifulsooftenhoneywassubstitutedasasweetener.SugarremainedrelativelyunimportantuntilIndiansfoundawaytoconverttherawsugarintocrystalsthatcouldbeeasilystoredandtransported.
FunFact: Sugarisoneoftheoldestbakingingredients.Itwascalled“whitegold”untilthelate1700’s.SugarwasaluxurythatEuropeannobilityusedtovalidatetheirrank.
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SugarisrefinedinmanylocationsthroughouttheU.S.andtheWorldhoweverthetop
sugarcaneproducingcountryisBrazil.SugarcanecanbefoundintheUnitedStatesinFlorida(DominoSugar)andHawaii
BakingSodabrandexamplesandwheretheycomefrom:AboutBakingSoda:Bakingsoda,
commonlyknownbyitschemicalnamesodiumbicarbonateisawhitesolid.Itoftenappearsasafinepowderandisslightlysalty.Bakingsodaisprimarilyusedinbakingasaleaveningagent;bakingsoda’sreactionwiththeacidiccomponentsinthebatterreleasescarbondioxidecausinganexpansioninbatter.
History:TheancientEgyptiansusednaturaldepositsofnatron,amixtureconsistingmostlyofsodiumcarbonate.Thisnatronwasusedasacleaningagent.In1791aFrenchchemistproducedsodiumcarbonateinthelabandwasknownassodaash.In1846apairofNewYorkbakersestablishedthefirstfactorytodevelopbakingsodafromsodiumcarbonate.
FunFact:Sodiumbicarbonatecanbeusedtoextinguishsmallgreaseorelectricalfiresbythrowingitoverthefire.SodiumbicarbonateisusedinBCdrychemicalfireextinguishers
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Arm&HammerBakingSoda:Princeton,NewJersey
Bob’sRedMill:Milwaukee,Oregon
BakingPowder(whilesimilartobakingsoda)isslightlydifferentandthetwolargestproducersareinTerraHaute,INandChicago,IL
Examplesofbakingchocolateandwhereitcomesfrom:
AboutChocolate:ChocolateisaraworprocessedfoodproducedfromtheseedofthetropicalTheobromacacaotree.CacaohasbeencultivatedforatleastthreemillenniainMexico,CentralandSouthAmerica.Unsweetenedbakingchocolate(bitterchocolate)containsprimarilycocoasolidsandcocoabutterinvaryingproportions.
History: CocoamasswasoriginallyinMesoamericabothasabeverageandasaningredientinfoods.TheMayacivilizationgrewcacaotreesintheirbackyardsandusedthecacaoseedsforafrothy,bitterdrink.Thefirstchocolatesolidwasinventedin1847whenitwasdiscoveredthatmixingsomeofthecocoabutterbackintotheDutchedchocolateandaddedsugarwouldcreateapastethatcanbemolded.
FunFact:Switzerlandisoneofthetopcountrieswhenitcomestochocolateconsumptions.Theyeatroughly22lbsofchocolateperpersonperyear.TheU.S.consumers11lbsperpersoneachyear.
MostCacaobeansaregrowninWestAfrica– IvoryCoast
ClosertohomeyoucanfindtheminDominicanRepublic
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Examplesofpeanutbutterbrandsandwheretheycomefrom:
AboutPeanutbutter:Peanutbutterisafoodpastemadeprimarilyofgrounddryroastedpeanuts.Peanutbuttermayprotectagainstahighriskofcardiovasculardiseaseduetoitslargeamountofmonounsaturatedfats.CurrentlytheUnitedStatesandChinaaretheleadingexportersofpeanutbutter.
History:PeanutsarenativetothetropicsoftheAmericaswheretheyweremashedtomakeapastysubstancebytheAztecNativeAmericanshundredsofyearsago.
FunFacts:Ittakesabout850peanutstomakean18ozjarofpeanutbutter.
TheaverageAmericanchildwilleat1,500peanutbuttersandwichesbythetimeheorshegraduateshighschool.
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SkippyPeanutbutter:LittleRock,Arkansas
JifPeanutbutter:Lexington,Kentucky
SaratogaPeanutButter:SaratogaSprings,NewYork
Examplesofbutterbrandsandwheretheycomefrom:
AboutButter:Butterisadairyproductmadefromchurningfreshorfermentedcreamormilk.Mostfrequentlybutterismadefromcow’smilk.Buttercomesinallforms,whipped,sticks,tubsofcreamybutteraswellassaltedandunsalted.Butterplaysseveralrolesinbaking.It’susedasaleaveningagentaswellasaflavoradditive.
History:Theearliestbutterwasmadefromgoatorsheep'smilk.Cowswerenotyetdomesticatedforanotherthousandyears.Untilthe19th centurythevastmajorityofbutterwasmadebyhand.ThefirstbutterfactoriesappearedintheUnitedStatesintheearly1960’s.
FunFact:InQuebec,Canada,alawexisteduntilJuly2008thatstatedthatmargarinemustbeadifferentcolorthanbutter
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LandOLakesButter:ArdenMills,Minnesota
LocalDairyFarms,Ex:MarkBrownDairyFarm,Canton,NYUseGoogletofindadairyfarmclosetoyourhome
Examplesofbrandsofsaltandwhereitcomesfrom:
AboutSalt:Salt,alsoknownastablesaltorrocksaltisamineralcomposedofsodiumchloride(NaCl).Saltinsmallamountsisessentialforanimalandhumanlife.Saltisproducedbytheevaporationorseawaterorbrine,andbyminingrocksalt.Theworldproductionofsodiumchloridein2002wasestimatedat210milliontonnes.ThetopfiveproducersofsaltaretheUnitedStates,China,Germany,IndiaandCanada(indescendingorder)
History:Forthelast100yearsorsosaltwasthebestknownfoodpreservative,especiallyformeat.Thepracticeofpreservingfoodwithsaltwasusedforthousandsofyears.
FunFact:Completelyraw,unrefinedseasaltisbitter.Thisisbecauseofthemagnesiumandcalciumcompounds.
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MortonSalt:AnAmericancompanywiththeirsalineoperationinMatthewTown,TheBahamas
MortonSaltistheownerofthesecondlargestsolaroperatedsalineoperationinNorthAmerica
WindsorSalt:WindsorcurrentlyminestheirsaltoutofWindsor,Ontario,Canada
Examplesofbrownsugarbrandsandwheretheycomefrom:
AboutBrownSugar:Brownsugarisasucrosesugarproductwiththepresenceofmolasses.Itiseitherunrefinedorpartiallyrefinedsoftsugarwithresidualmolassesorrefinedwhitesugarwithaddedmolasses.Therearetwodifferenttypesofbrownsugar,lightbrownsugarwith3.5%molassesordarkbrownsugarwith6.5%molasses.
History:Inthelate1800’stherefinedwhitesugarindustrystartedasmearcampaignagainstthecompaniesproducingbrownsugar.Theyreproducedandenlargedphotosoftheharmlessbutrepulsive-lookingmicrobeslivinginbrownsugar.By1900thecampaignwassosuccessfulthatbest-sellingcookbookswarnedthatbrownsugarwassuperiorqualityandwassusceptibletoinfestation.
Funfact:Ifyou’rebakingandrunoutofbrownsugarasuitablesubstituteis1tbspofmolassesforeverycupofwhite(granulated)sugar.Nomolasses?Trymaplesyrup.
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SugarisrefinedinmanylocationsthroughouttheU.S.andtheWorldhoweverthetopsugarcaneproducingcountryisBrazil.SugarcanecanbefoundintheUnitedStatesinFlorida(DominoSugar)andHawaii.
ExamplesofbrandsofVanillaextractandwheretheycomefrom:
AboutVanillaExtract:Vanillaextractisasolutioncontainingtheflavorcompoundvanillin.Vanillaextractisthemostcommonformofvanillausedtoday.Therearefourmainvarieties,Mexican,Tahitian,Indonesian,andBourbon(BourbonvanillawasnamedfortheperiodwhentheislandofReunionwasruledbytheBourbonKingsofFrance,itdoesnotcontainBourbonWhiskey).Naturalvanillaflavoringisderivedfromrealvanillabeanswithlittletonoalcohol.
History:TheTotonacpeoplewhoinhabitedtheGulfCoastofMexicowerethefirsttocultivateVanilla.Untilthemid-19th CenturyMexicowasthechiefproducerofvanilla,whentheFrenchshippedvanillabeanstotheislandofReunionin1819.
FunFact:WhileMexicoalwaysleadinvanillaproductionhistorically,thecurrenttopproducergloballyisMadagascar.
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ThetoptwocountriesthatVanillaisimportedfromare:Madagascar andIndonesia.FollowinginthirdandfourthisChinaandMexico.
Wheremacadamianutscomefrom:
AboutMacadamiaNuts:Macadamianutscomefromathemacadamiatree.Itisasmalltolargeevergreentree.Therearetwospeciesofediblenutsandtheyreadilyhybridize.Thisthreatensthewildgrowth.Afterthemacadamianutispickeditundergoesanextensivedryingprocess
History:In1828thefirstMacadamianutwasdiscoveredbyanEuropeanbythenameofAllanCunningham.In1910anexperimentalcropofmacadamiawasplantedinHawaiiandin1922ErnestTasselformedtheHawaiianMacadamiaNutCoandleased75acrestostartthecrop.
FunFact:In2003humannutritionresearchinAustraliashowsthatthemacadamianutcanlowertotalandLDLCholesterollevels
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MacadamiaNutsareproducedinHawaii andAustralia
ExamplesofoatmealBrandsandwheretheycomefrom:
OatmealFacts:Oatmealcomesfromthegroundgraincalledoats.Oatsareatwotofivefoottallplantverysimilartowheat.Themainuseforoatsistofeedlivestock.Theoatsthatpeopleeataremilledandthehardoutercoveringoftheseedisremoved.
History: OatmealhasalonghistoryinScottishcookingtradition.ThestateofVermontoatmealmakingisalongtraditionthatoriginatingfromtheScottishsettlementinthestate.
FunFact: OatmealmonthiscelebratedinJanuary.MoreoatmealisboughtinJanuarythaneveryothermonthoftheyear.
BACK http://www.gramene.org/species/avena/oat_maps_and_stats.html
TopOatProduction:RussiaCanada- SaskatchewanU.S– Minnesota
Examplesofraisinbrandsandwheretheycomefrom:
AboutRaisins:Raisinsaredriedgrapesandproducedinmanyregionsoftheworld.Thetypeofraisindependsonthetypeofgrapethatwasdehydratedtomakethegrape.Raisinsareusedinmanytypesofcooking,bakingandbrewing.Raisinsare67%to72%sugarmakingthemaverysweetadditiontocookies.
History:Peoplehaveenjoyedraisinssinceearlycivilization.TheEgyptiansandPhoeniciansarecreditedwiththegrowingpopularity.Becausethey’resmallandlong-termstoragecapabilitythey’veaccompaniedmanyvoyagersontheirjourneys'toremotelocations,suchasspace,andthenorthpole.
Funfacts:Halfoftheworld’ssupplyofraisinsaregrowninCalifornia.Butdon’tsharethisGoldenStatetreatwithyourdog.Raisin’sarepoisonoustodogs.
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Sun-MaidRaisins&DelMonte:GreatCentralValleyofCalifornia
Examplesofwalnutbrandsandwheretheycomefrom:
AboutWalnuts:WalnutsaretheseedofatreecalledJuglan.TheJuglantreeisadeciduoustreethatgrows10-40meterstall(30-130feet).Walnutsarelight-demandingspeciesthatbenefitsfromtheprotectionfromwind.Theyarealsoaverydroughttoleranttree.
History:Walnutsaretheoldesttreefoodknowntomankind,datingbackto7000BC.TheRoman’scalledthewalnut‘Jupiter’sroyalacorn’.WalnutssoonbecameavaluablecommodityandweretradedallalongtheSilkRoadroutefromAsiatotheMiddleEast.
FunFact:Theaveragewalnuttreeproducesnutsfor45years.
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TheUnitedStatesistheleadingproducerof
Nuts,morespecificallytheGreatCentralValleyinCaliforniaCanadaistheSecondleadingproducerofwalnuts
ExamplesofPecansandwheretheycomefrom:
AboutPecans:Pecantreesarelargedeciduoustrees.Thepecan,likethefruitofothermembersofthehickorygenus,itnottrulyanut.Itistechnicallyadrupewhichisafruitwithasinglestoneorpitsurroundedbyahusk.Thenutsofapecantreeareediblewitharichbutteryflavor.
History:BeforeEuropeansettlementpecanswerewidelyconsumedandtradedbyNativeAmericans.TheEuropeanswerefirstintroducedinthe16thcenturybySpanishexplorersinwhatisnowMexico,Texas,andLouisiana.
FunFact:Pecansprovidefornearly10%ofyourdailyzincneeds.
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Toppecanproducingstates:GeorgiaTexasNewMexicoArizona