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