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Connecticut was a key player in the 'Baking Powder Wars'

Raspberry jam-filled doughnuts are freshly made and ready to be powdered.
Tony Spinelli
/
Connecticut Public
Raspberry jam-filled doughnuts are freshly made and ready to be powdered.

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.

Read an excerpt from chapter 2 of Baking Powder Wars, titled "The Liberation of Cake":

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:

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

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Katie is a producer for Connecticut Public Radio's news-talk show 'Where We Live.' She has previously worked for CNN and News 8-WTNH.
Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He can be reached at pskahill@ctpublic.org.
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