Charcoal is used in food to colour it black and for its supposed health benefits.
Activated charcoal, typically made from bamboo or coconut shell, is used as a food ingredient. It gives food an earthy, smoky taste and the black colouring gives the food an exotic, fashionable appearance. [2]
Some health benefits have been claimed for charcoal back to classical times, when Hippocrates and Pliny recommended it for conditions such as anthrax and vertigo. Activated charcoal adsorbs chemicals and so may bind to both toxins and vital nutrients such as vitamins; therefore, it may also make prescription medications less effective. Its effects are therefore broad and indiscriminate. [2] [3]
Chefs and food retailers that have pioneered the use of charcoal in food include Ferran Adrià, Burger King, René Redzepi, Simon Rogan and Waitrose. [4] [5]
Activated charcoal is the primary ingredient in black ice cream, which is often served with a black cone also containing charcoal. The ice cream usually contains other flavorings such as horchata, almond, and coconut in order to mask the taste of the charcoal. [6] [7] [8]
Activated charcoal can aid certain toxins from the digestive system through a process called adsorption. This occurs because activated charcoal possesses a highly porous structure, dramatically increasing its surface area. The pores in activated charcoal can trap chemicals and other substances when it is in the stomach. This interrupts the drug or chemicals from absorbing into the bloodstream to prevent it from traveling to organs and tissues and causing damage or worse. [9]
There are many ways of consuming activated charcoal. The most common way is by adding charcoal powder to water to make a detox juice, or by sprinkling it over your food as a garnish. A simpler way to consume activated charcoal is in the form of pills and capsules. It goes into the gut directly, and immediately starts working on absorbing substances. Here are some benefits of consuming it. [10]
People using medical treatment, such as birth control pills and medication for depression, should avoid novelty meals or beverages with activated charcoal coloring, as they can render the drug ineffective. [11] [12]
Charcoal and Activated charcoal vary significantly in terms of composition, manufacturing process, applications, and effectiveness.
Charcoal mostly consists of carbon, ash, water, and gasses. Activated charcoal, on the other hand, is primarily carbon but gets an extra activation process. It results in a higher surface area and porous structure. This structure makes it efficient to trap pollutants and poisons. [13]
The production process for normal charcoal involves heating wood in a limited oxygen environment. Activated charcoal is made by heating charcoal in a hot tank without oxygen. It is then exposed to argon and nitrogen and reheated. During the second heating, the charcoal is exposed to oxygen and steam. The pores created in this process are what give it its medicinal use. [13]
Charcoal has been used as a cooking fuel since Ancient times. The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all used charcoal for various reasons, including smelting, blacksmithing, and, of course, cooking. It is impossible to overstate the importance of charcoal in the evolution of early cooking processes. It was the preferred fuel for open-fire cooking. It is still enjoyed by barbecue aficionados today. [14]
During the medieval and Renaissance centuries, charcoal remained a key factor in the cooking sector. Cooking skills advanced with the development of charcoal-fueled ovens and stoves. This transformed the way food was prepared. Besides its functional use, charcoal cooking had historical and social importance at the time, since it was frequently connected with community meetings and cheerful events. [14]
The manufacturing and usage of charcoal underwent significant changes during the Industrial Revolution. The introduction of charcoal fires enabled widely used manufacturing of the fuel, meeting increasing demands. However, there was also an increase away from charcoal in favor of other fuel sources such as coal and gas. Despite the transition, charcoal has managed to keep its position across multiple industries, especially cooking. [14]
Activated charcoal is commonly used as a natural food for coloring and cleaning purposes. Its efficacy in absorbing toxin properties. This makes it a good ingredient for creating detox food and drink. These were claims more based in marketing and advertising than in scientific evidence.
Activated charcoal's deep black color undoubtedly creates a visual effect in bread. Its impact goes beyond aesthetics. This ingredient might change the bread's texture, potentially leading to a denser and less elastic texture due to its moisture absorption properties. The effect of charcoal on shelf life, ash content, and even dough handling. Activated charcoal interferes with gluten formation and makes the dough stiffer. [15]
Charcoal ice cream is simply ice cream with added charcoal, or a combination of charcoal and food coloring. Before creating ice cream, fine charcoal is put into the foundation which may be black. It can be combined with frozen yogurt, soft serve, gelato, or another similar frozen delicacy. If you are on prescription medication, you should not eat charcoal ice cream. Furthermore, it could reduce the availability of nutrients from the food you eat. Thus, it should not be consumed on a regular basis. [16]
Turkish cuisine is the cuisine of Turkey and the Turkish diaspora. Although the cuisine took its current rich form after numerous cultural interactions throughout centuries, it should not be confused with other cuisines such as Ottoman cuisine or Seljuk cuisine. Turkish cuisine with traditional Turkic elements such as yogurt, ayran, kaymak, exerts and gains influences to and from Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Eastern European cuisines.
Pastry refers to a variety of doughs, as well as the sweet and savoury baked goods made from them. These goods are often called pastries as a synecdoche, and the dough may be accordingly called pastry dough for clarity. Sweetened pastries are often described as bakers' confectionery. Common pastry dishes include pies, tarts, quiches, croissants, and pasties.
A chocolate chip cookie is a drop cookie that features chocolate chips or chocolate morsels as its distinguishing ingredient. Chocolate chip cookies are claimed to have originated in the United States in 1938, when Ruth Graves Wakefield chopped up a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar and added the chopped chocolate to a cookie recipe; however, historical recipes for grated or chopped chocolate cookies exist prior to 1938 by various other authors.
Tartrazine is a synthetic lemon yellow azo dye primarily used as a food coloring. It is also known as E number E102, C.I. 19140, FD&C Yellow 5, Yellow 5 Lake, Acid Yellow 23, Food Yellow 4, and trisodium 1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-(4-sulfonatophenylazo)-5-pyrazolone-3-carboxylate.
Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing takes many forms, from grinding grain into raw flour, home cooking, and complex industrial methods used in the making of convenience foods. Some food processing methods play important roles in reducing food waste and improving food preservation, thus reducing the total environmental impact of agriculture and improving food security.
Red velvet cake is traditionally a red, crimson, or scarlet-colored layer cake, layered with ermine icing. Traditional recipes do not use food coloring, with the red color possibly due to non-Dutched, anthocyanin-rich cocoa, and possibly due to the usage of brown sugar, formerly called red sugar.
Popiah is a Fujianese/Teochew-style fresh spring roll filled with an assortment of fresh, dried, and cooked ingredients, eaten during the Qingming Festival and other celebratory occasions. The dish is made by the people and diaspora of Fujian province of China, neighbouring Chaoshan district, and by the Teochew and Hoklo diaspora in various regions throughout Southeast Asia and in Taiwan, The origin of popiah dates back to the 17th century.
Jewish cuisine refers to the worldwide cooking traditions of the Jewish people. During its evolution over the course of many centuries, it has been shaped by Jewish dietary laws (kashrut), Jewish festivals and holidays, and traditions centred around Shabbat. Jewish cuisine is influenced by the economics, agriculture, and culinary traditions of the many countries where Jewish communities have settled and varies widely throughout the entire world.
Quick bread is any bread leavened with a chemical leavening agent rather than a biological one like yeast or sourdough starter. An advantage of quick breads is their ability to be prepared quickly and reliably, without requiring the time-consuming skilled labor and the climate control needed for traditional yeast breads.
Cookie dough is an uncooked blend of cookie ingredients. While cookie dough is normally intended to be baked into individual cookies before eating, edible cookie dough is made to be eaten as is, and usually is made without eggs to make it safer for human consumption.
Traditional Kazakh cuisine is the traditional food of the Kazakh people. It is focused on mutton and horse meat, as well as various milk products. For hundreds of years, Kazakhs were herders who raised fat-tailed sheep, Bactrian camels, and horses, relying on these animals for transportation, clothing, and food. The cooking techniques and major ingredients have been strongly influenced by the nation's nomadic way of life. For example, most cooking techniques are aimed at long-term preservation of food. There is a large practice of salting and drying meat so that it will last, and there is a preference for sour milk, as it is easier to save in a nomadic lifestyle.
Bamboo charcoal is charcoal made from species of bamboo. It is typically made from the culms or refuse of mature bamboo plants and burned in ovens at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1200 °C. It is an especially porous charcoal, making it useful in the manufacture of activated carbon.
Afghan cuisine is influenced by Persian, Central Asian, and South Asian cuisines due to Afghanistan's close proximity and cultural ties. The cuisine is halal and mainly based on mutton, beef, poultry and fish with rice and Afghan bread. Accompanying these are common vegetables and dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, whey, and fresh and dried fruits such as apples, apricots, grapes, bananas, oranges, plums, pomegranates, sweet melons, and raisins. The diet of most Afghans revolves around rice-based dishes, while various forms of naan are consumed with most meals. Tea is generally consumed daily in large quantities, and is a major part of hospitality. The culinary specialties reflect the nation's ethnic and geographic diversity. The national dish of Afghanistan is Kabuli palaw, a rice dish cooked with raisins, carrots, nuts, and lamb or beef.
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, called charcoal burning, often by forming a charcoal kiln, the heat is supplied by burning part of the starting material itself, with a limited supply of oxygen. The material can also be heated in a closed retort. Modern charcoal briquettes used for outdoor cooking may contain many other additives, e.g. coal.
A great variety of cassava-based dishes are consumed in the regions where cassava is cultivated. Manihot esculenta is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes.
Tandoor bread refers to a bread baked in a clay oven called a tandoor.
Shelpek is a traditional Central Asian flatbread commonly consumed all over the region. The main ingredients of shelpek are flour, milk, sugar, butter, sour cream such as Kaymak, baking soda, salt and vegetable oil.
This is a categorically organized list of foods. Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is produced either by plants, animals, or fungi, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.
Activated charcoal cleanses, also known as charcoal detoxes, are a pseudoscientific use of a proven medical intervention. Activated charcoal is available in powder, tablet and liquid form. Its proponents claim the use of activated charcoal on a regular basis will detoxify and cleanse the body as well as boost one's energy and brighten the skin. Such claims violate basic principles of chemistry and physiology. There is no medical evidence for any health benefits of cleanses or detoxes via activated charcoal or any other method. Charcoal, when ingested, will absorb vitamins and nutrients as well as prescription medications present in the gastrointestinal tract which can make it dangerous to use unless directed by a medical doctor.