Before baking powder became a kitchen staple, there was a state-level showdown over the rights to produce and sell it, and food historian Linda Civitello says Connecticut played a central role. This hour, she joins us to dig into her book, Baking Powder Wars: The Cutthroat Food Fight that Revolutionized Cooking.

Plus, Darien First Selectman Monica McNally previews the town’s $85 million purchase of Great Island, a 63-acre property linked to baking powder tycoon William Ziegler.

From Baking Powder Wars: The Cutthroat Food Fight that Revolutionized Cooking by Linda Civitello. © 2017 by Linda Civitello. Used with permission of the University of Illinois Press.

GUESTS:

• Linda Civitello: Food Historian; Author, Baking Powder Wars: The Cutthroat Food Fight that Revolutionized Cooking
• Monica McNally: First Selectman of Darien

Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired September 14, 2023.

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.