The Story of Food

Welcome to the story of food.  You’ve probably noticed that it is now possible to purchase many foods pre-made at the store that otherwise you could (or would have) made from scratch at home.  If you’ve noticed this, you’ve probably also noticed that the ingredients you use at home are often different, sometimes subtly, sometimes in significant ways, from the ingredients the manufacturers use.  If you’ve ever wondered why this is, this book is for you.  

Part food science, part food history, part cookbook, in each chapter we consider a food that you may either make at home or buy at the store.   In each chapter, we share what we thought was the most interesting bits of the history and science of these foods in a section called “edible events”, a recipe for a home-made version, and then why and how the manufactured and home made versions differ in the “home and away” section.  This book is enhanced with instructional movies and interactive graphics, and is best viewed on an iPad. 

This book is the product of the combined efforts of the students (and teacher) in Applied Food Science and Engineering at Bucknell University, Fall 2013. We hope you enjoy!