On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1222

whimsical shapes, hidden pockets of hissing
gas, and burningly excessive doses of acidity
orspice.
Inthekitchen,sugarisaversatile
ingredient.Becausesweetnessisoneofa
smallhandfulofbasictastesensations,cooks
addsugartodishesofallkindstofilloutand
balancetheirflavor.Sugarinterferesusefully
withthecoagulationofproteins,andso
tenderizestheglutennetworkofbakedgoods
andthealbumennetworkofcustardsand
creams.Ifweheatsugarenoughtobreakits
moleculesapart,itgeneratesbothappealing
colorsandanincreasingcomplexityofflavor:
nolongerjustsweetness,butacidity,
bitterness,andafull,richaroma.Andsugaris
asculpturalmaterial.Provideitwithsome
moistureandhighheat,andwecancoaxfrom
itabroadrangeofshapeableconsistencies,
creamyandchewyandbrittleandrockhard.
Thestoryofsugarisnotallsweetnessand
light.Itsappealwasadestructiveforceinthe


historyofAfricaandtheAmericas,whose
peopleswereenslavedtosatisfytheEuropean
hungerforit.Andtoday,bydisplacingmore
nourishingfoodsfromourdiet,sugar
contributesindirectlytoseveralmodern
diseasesofaffluence.Likemostgoodthings
inlife,it’sbestenjoyedinmoderation.And

likethatothergoodthing,fat,it’seasyto
consumealotofsugarinmanufacturedfoods
withoutrealizingit.
Chocolate,thecooked,sculptablepasteof
aSouthAmericantreeseed,hasbeenmarried
tosugareversinceitsarrivalinEuropenearly
500yearsago,andisinsomerespectssugar’s
complement.Wheresugarisasingle
moleculepurifiedfromcomplexplantfluids,
chocolateisamixtureofhundredsofdifferent
moleculesproducedbyfermentingand
roastingaplainblandseed.It’soneofthe
mostcomplexflavorsweexperience,andyet
itlacksandiscompletedbybasic,simple
sweetness.