...is the title of a book by journalist Mats-Eric Nilsson that was published in Sweden in 2007 and stirred up quite a debate. Last week I finally found the Norwegian version - Den hemmelige kokken - in my local bookshop, and Mats-Eric Nilsson definitely has succeeded in opening up my eyes to the secrets of the food industry!
When Mats-Eric Nilsson started to read the fine print on the labels of different food items, he got scared. The green colour of storebought pistachio ice cream came from spinach, not pistachios. The vanilla flavour in vanilla yoghurt was achieved by adding vanillin, a food additive produced from rotten pine trees, not the seeds from a vanilla pod. Something as simple as mayonnaise - normally an emulsion of egg yolks, oil and vinegar or lemon juice - could contain a long list of additives when bought readymade. Additives that in Europe would be hidden behind so called E-numbers, like E421 and E300, instead of the long and difficult names of these mostly chemically produced additives. It made him want to know more about food additives, but most of all about the secrets of the food industry and therefore the truth about the food we normally buy and eat without a second thought. In this book he reveals many of those secrets, gives you an overview of all food additives and gives you advice on what additives to avoid.
Did you know that an average of 7 kilos of additives is consumed per person throughout a year?! You should know what you eat, therefore this book should be read by everyone, especially foodies!
Have a great read!
This looks like a must-have :-D
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