[ozar]

Recently, I've been taking some food supplements and I began to wonder what all might be in them. Upon looking at the ingredients label, I found that they had shellac in them. I've always known that shellac was very popular for use in woodworking, but I never knew that it was used so often in food and various other things.

Anyway, my online search to find out more about shellac and what it actually is took me to this interesting website:

5 Horrifying Food Additives You've Probably Eaten Today | Cracked.com

Of course, I then learned more than I really wanted to know.

Anyone still hungry?

[questio verum]

Mmm... Yu-um, Yum! 'Natural Flavor' to the rescue. Gimme a small serving of fetid porcine flank tissue with the bacteriophage glaze and a side order of fried tubers with the 'animal derived' flavor booster (hold the goat spunk, please). I'll wash it down with a nice cold glass of (naturally colored) hibiscus tea. No, no cat whiz for me today, thanks.

Muwaha-ha-ha-ha! That was a funny page. Not sure I believe it all. But it was funny.


qv

[arinlares]

wow... (i say as I bite into a red dyed bologna sandwich).there's an article linked from that page about the 6 most terrifying foods in the world, too.

[ozar]

Originally Posted by questio verum

Not sure I believe it all. But it was funny.

I'm not sure how much of it's for real either, but I'm pretty sure the shellac part is true judging from what I've read online. I'm going to look into the carmine thing a bit more, next.

Originally Posted by arinlares

wow... (i say as I bite into a red dyed bologna sandwich).there's an article linked from that page about the 6 most terrifying foods in the world, too.

Yeah... this sure made me think about that ham sandwich I had for lunch earlier today.

[jayd512]

Mmmmm.... Zesty!!!

[elija]

mmmmm! A rather delicious page not found

[edit]
Ah! There it is...

Why are people so squeamish about stuff like that? After all, when you eat your sausage you don't stop and consider that they are mostly made out of lips and arse. That's right you are eating cow or pig anus.

Enjoy that fry up!
[/edit]

[bigtomrodney]

Haha I love it. I read cracked.com every day. Top ten (or top whatever/best/worst) lists are usually quite tedious but these guys get the narrative just right. Formulaic but right

They had a great one yesterday about vigilantes that made me smile.

[Roxoff]

Huh? I don't get the humour here. We use cochineal all the time for food colouring - it's been around for hundreds of years. It's not like they're using raw beetles in your food, these things are cooked. Some people are just so damn squeamish.

And as for cooking your chips in lard... Well you Americans should try it. Apart from making you fat and clogging your arteries with cholestorol, it tastes fantastic. Lard as a cooking fat makes fried potatoes taste sublime. Duck fat is, in many ways, much richer and tastier, too. I've never used tallow in cooking, however, it's a very French thing to go using horse fat.

[carlosponti]

i knew shellac was used in the food industry as a shiner however its not on jelly beans. there is a coating of wax that the beans are mixed in with and allowed to tumble the action deposits the wax and buffs the dull surface shiny. that article had an over alarmist tone. bacteria are used to make yogart etc. bees wax is actually derived from bees secreting it which is used in food. not to mention the honey we eat. carnuba wax made from a type of leaf used in waxing your car also used in foods.

ps since i am a woodworking i have shellac in my garage for kid safe wood projects. after drying its supposed to be non-toxic.

edit i was wrong about the shine on jelly beans the confectioners glaze i had always read about is a mixture with shellac http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confectioners_glaze that goes on top of the jelly bean in the panning phase.

[carlosponti]

Originally Posted by Roxoff

And as for cooking your chips in lard... Well you Americans should try it. Apart from making you fat and clogging your arteries with cholestorol, it tastes fantastic. Lard as a cooking fat makes fried potatoes taste sublime. Duck fat is, in many ways, much richer and tastier, too. I've never used tallow in cooking, however, it's a very French thing to go using horse fat.

yeah well we did use lard up until the last 20 or 30 years actually. some cuisines in the south still use lard for everything. its only the healthy trend that has brought about the change.