1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,200 Speaker 1: You guys know, I think cookbooks and menus are a 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:09,039 Speaker 1: form of literature. Read a lot of these ridiculous historians 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: Max Noll and I they called me Ben. We had 4 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: a we had a moment in January of twenty eighteen 5 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: where we got super into. 6 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 2: Gelatin Into is maybe a strong way of putting it. 7 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 2: I think jello on its own is a delightful treat. 8 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 2: It's locale, it's squishy, and it goes down easy if 9 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 2: you have a sore throat. Great for hospital days. You know, 10 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 2: I'm a big fan of line personally. I don't know 11 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 2: what you guys's favorite jello flavors are. 12 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: I can't believe we used to be friends. 13 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:42,519 Speaker 2: Well, I'm sorry, I just I'm a little basically blue, 14 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 2: well blue, what is blue? 15 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: Jealous flavor? Blue? Yeah, we have a blue drink. We 16 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: have an episode on artificial flavoring coming up in the future, 17 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: in the future of ridiculous history. And gelatine itself is 18 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: an amazing technology. I mean, it's it's ancient, but it's 19 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 1: also I don't know, it's still so fascinating. It's so fun. 20 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: I'm a person who plays with my food. I love 21 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: that stuff. 22 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 2: Remember Jello jigglers guy, Yeah, itello that you'd cut out 23 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:16,839 Speaker 2: with cookie cutters, and oh man, there was a golden 24 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 2: time when Bill Cosby before we knew too much about that. 25 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:24,040 Speaker 2: Oh boy, he was the guy and he was the jigglers. 26 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,320 Speaker 2: All that stuff didn't age very well now that we know. Uh. 27 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 2: But here's the thing. Jello in that form and it's 28 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 2: purest form, the little bit of food coloring and some 29 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 2: sweetener and you know whatever artificial flavoring a delight. Well, 30 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 2: you start mixing in mayonnaise and olives and pickles and 31 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 2: celery and shoot of slivers of meat, oh geez, or 32 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 2: the earlier versions of it with things called aspects, which 33 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 2: would be a gelatine kind of with meat chunks, you know, 34 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 2: sort of suspended there. It really it becomes pretty cursed. 35 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 2: There's an actually what I was looking for and talk 36 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 2: was this guy has a channel called I Spy Antiques. 37 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 2: He does a video where he tries to make a 38 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 2: jello salad that he found in his grandmother's recipe book 39 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 2: and he makes it in like a lamb cake mold 40 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 2: and it ends up being this just cursed green, weird lumpy. 41 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 2: It's got like green peppers in it. He takes a 42 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 2: bite and it's just like he he curses God. 43 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 1: Essentially, I never understood it, and that's what that's what 44 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: comes to the forefront in today's classic episode. If you 45 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: like us, are alive in twenty twenty four and you're 46 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: wondering why why did gelatine become such a thing. Nowadays 47 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: it's relegated to the world the desserts. But once upon 48 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: a time, folks, as we will learn together today, gelatine 49 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: was considered like a savory medium, a savory path for 50 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,239 Speaker 1: a main dish. And it's just it's it's a centerpiece. 51 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: Dare we say, you know, we say, yeah, yeah, it's 52 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: a It's a cavalcade of culinary catastrophe. Anyway, here it 53 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: is ridiculous History. Is a production of iHeartRadio, America's most 54 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: famous dessert. There's always room for Jel. Hello, my name 55 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: is Ben. I know. 56 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's gonna take me a minute to wrap my 57 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 2: head around. It's not worth it, No, it is worth it. 58 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 2: You you you kind of just broke my brain. But 59 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 2: I guess I'm Noel and I think this is ridiculous history. 60 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 2: And today we're talking about Gello, but not just any 61 00:03:58,400 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 2: gel I mean, we're gonna cover, We're gonna run the 62 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 2: game of all gelatinous products, but specifically today we're talking 63 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 2: about meat jello. 64 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: It's a real thing, and it's something that you and 65 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: I and our super producer Casey Pegrin have talked about 66 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,360 Speaker 1: off air in the past, before we even started doing 67 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: this show, which is amazing when you think about it, 68 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: You and I and Casey and probably some of you 69 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: friends and neighbors have a preoccupation, a morbid fascination with gelatine. 70 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's true. I mean, I have a very distinct 71 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 2: memory from my childhood, and it was my mother really 72 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:42,160 Speaker 2: prided herself on doing these very elegant table settings, and 73 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,720 Speaker 2: she carried on this tradition from her mother, who always 74 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 2: used to make a little side dish with the alarmingly 75 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:54,480 Speaker 2: odd name of gentleman's salad. What is this gentleman's salad? 76 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 2: You might ask? 77 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: What is this gentleman's salad? 78 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 2: I thought you might ask. I'll tell you what it is. 79 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 2: Ben is a thing that was very in all the 80 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 2: rage of the highest of fashion in the fifties and sixties, 81 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 2: mid century and beyond, fell out of fashion a closer 82 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:12,720 Speaker 2: to the late seventies the early eighties. But we'll get 83 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 2: to that. But what gentleman salad is is a molded 84 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 2: gelatinous I don't know if it's a dessert. It's not 85 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 2: really served in the place of a dessert. It's sort 86 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 2: of a pre meal thing like you'd eat a salad. 87 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 2: But it's not a leafy green No, it's a weird 88 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 2: little gelatinous mound of lime green stuff that's kind of 89 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 2: full of nuts, chopped nuts and marshmallows, I want to say, 90 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 2: and topped with a dollop of crim fresh or horseradish, oh, 91 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:48,039 Speaker 2: if you want to get spicy right exactly. And it's 92 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 2: one of these things that as a kid, my mom 93 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 2: insisted that I take a bite, even though I just 94 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 2: it was just one of those things I just didn't trust. 95 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 2: My little kid brain kind of recoiled at it. It 96 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 2: didn't taste awful, the horseradish, but that was apparently I 97 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 2: was missing out on the full impact of the dish. 98 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 2: But this was a thing, and not just meat jella, 99 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 2: but jello in general. Gelatin salads was a very easy 100 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 2: way for home cooks to show kind of like opulence 101 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 2: and class and elegance. 102 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: And today, we often think of a salad as something 103 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: with leafy greens, right, with fresh herbs, fresh vegetables, a 104 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 1: little bit of cheese, and maybe some protein in the 105 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 1: form of nuts or tun or whatever. But a salad 106 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: essentially is only a mixture of different ingredients. So when 107 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:44,719 Speaker 1: we're saying gelatine salad, we are accurately describing this strange 108 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: phenomenon of throwing everything and the kitchen sink into gelatine. 109 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:56,719 Speaker 1: And gelatin is a very strange thing when you think 110 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 1: about it. We know that it's ancient, that traces of 111 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: gelatin were found in ancient Egypt, and we generally in 112 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 1: the West trace the use of gelatin as a food 113 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 1: stuff to medieval England. 114 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 2: That's right. I actually found a gelatin recipe from seventeen 115 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 2: forty seven from a London cookbook, from an author by 116 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 2: the name of Hannah Glass. And we'll go into a 117 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 2: little bit more of the modern ways of making gelatin, 118 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 2: but this is the old school way. I'm going to 119 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 2: read this verbatim because it is delightful. So first, take 120 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 2: out the great bones of four calves feet and put 121 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 2: the feet into a pot with ten quarts of water, 122 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 2: three ounces of horse shorn, three ounces of ling glass, 123 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 2: a nutmeg quartered, four blades of mace. Then boil this 124 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 2: till it comes to two quarts and strain it through 125 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 2: a flannel bag. Let it stand twenty four hours. Then 126 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 2: scrape all the fat from the top very clean. Then 127 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 2: slice it and put to it the whites of six 128 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 2: eggs beaten to froth. Boil it a little and strain 129 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 2: it again through a flannel bag. Then run the jelly 130 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 2: into little high glasses. You may add orange flower water 131 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 2: or wine, and sugar and lemon if you please. But 132 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 2: this is all fancy. 133 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: As you can see. We are fans of collecting recipes 134 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 1: from olden days, and we have found that the measurements 135 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 1: get kind of iffy and ad hockey. But this is 136 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: this is a real recipe. And if you have these calves, 137 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: hoofs or some orange water. Was it orange water or sugar? 138 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: It was orange flower water, orange flower water. If you 139 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: have this, please feel free to make it. Please send 140 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: us pictures. I know all three of us would love 141 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 1: to see it. Nowadays we use the term jello synonymously 142 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:54,320 Speaker 1: with gelatin, but Jello is a name brand with a 143 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,960 Speaker 1: history of its own. The mix up here the conflation 144 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: is similar to the way that people say google as 145 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: a verb when they're referring to any Internet So. 146 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,199 Speaker 2: Like Kleenex for any kind of tissue. 147 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 1: Or like xerox for copiers or gelatin itself brand names 148 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: aside is a translucent, colorless and flavorless thing on its own, 149 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: and you make it using collagen from various animal parts, 150 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: as we saw in our recipe with calves hooves. It's 151 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:31,559 Speaker 1: not just used in food. It's commonly used as a 152 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:34,319 Speaker 1: gelling agent in food, but it's used in a bunch 153 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 1: of non food applications as well, photography, vitamin capsules. 154 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,199 Speaker 2: Sure, and the way it's made today is obviously much 155 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 2: more of an industrial process. And just to kind of 156 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 2: give you the quick and dirty of how it's made today, 157 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 2: it's made using largely washed pigskins that are then cleaned. 158 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:54,320 Speaker 2: I actually found a video online where it shows the 159 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 2: process in reverse from a nice little gummy bear being 160 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 2: popped into someone's mouth, backward to all the different steps 161 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 2: of the manufacturing process until it ends up with a 162 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 2: cute little piggy looking you in the eye. I think 163 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 2: it was kind of designed to make you feel bad 164 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 2: about eating gummies, but we're not here to tell you 165 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 2: what to do. We are here to tell you how 166 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 2: gelatin is made. So these cleaned pigskins are washed and 167 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 2: then they are soaked and they're given an acid treatment, 168 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 2: and the idea is to break down the tissues so 169 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:28,840 Speaker 2: that the collagen is kind of made into smaller chunks 170 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 2: in these strands of gelatin that they call it gelatin noodles. 171 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 2: In the manufacturing process, they thicken when they're cooled, and 172 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 2: then various stages of hot water extraction is done, and 173 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 2: it's done up to six or seven times, with the 174 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:48,040 Speaker 2: temperature of the water being raised for every step. And 175 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:53,200 Speaker 2: the earliest extractions are apparently the more powerful, or I 176 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:57,080 Speaker 2: guess they hold their shape better, and the subsequent extractions 177 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 2: it becomes a little bit weaker. 178 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 1: And one of the things that baffles us about this 179 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:07,800 Speaker 1: process is that most people growing up don't know the 180 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: gelatine or your favorite flavor of jello does derive ultimately 181 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: from these animal proteins. I think, you know, it's not 182 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: quite on the level of Santa Claus spoiler alert everybody, 183 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 1: but I think a lot of kids have no understanding 184 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 1: of the origin of gelatin that we just walked through 185 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 1: and today we're asking why jello and gelatin fiend food 186 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: dishes became so prevalent for a time. It was a 187 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: fat They rose and they fell, and you can find 188 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: different cookbooks or different articles citing this rise. But we 189 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 1: wanted to track down the answer. And I want to 190 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: give a big shout out to Dan Myers over at 191 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:56,440 Speaker 1: the Daily Meal. In January of last year, he tackled 192 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: this question about why there were so many gelatin based 193 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: dishes in the nineteen fifties and the nineteen sixties. And 194 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:07,439 Speaker 1: you know, you and I have looked through these old 195 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:11,200 Speaker 1: recipes and it's true jello today is treated mainly as 196 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: a dessert, but during that time period it would be 197 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: the entire meal. You would have the sweet and the 198 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: savory together in this mold. There's really no other way 199 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:21,679 Speaker 1: to say it. 200 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, and those molds themselves were staples of mid century 201 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 2: kitchens and all kinds of shapes. But this goes way 202 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 2: way farther back than the nineteen fifties and sixties, far 203 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 2: back really to medieval England. 204 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 1: And while while we're here in the medieval era in 205 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:45,199 Speaker 1: Western Europe, we need to add a we need to 206 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 1: add another aspect to the story another aspect to the 207 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: story gross, I'm proud of that one. So one of 208 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: the one of the most important things about gelatine, aside 209 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: from it being a luxurious food stuff, is that it 210 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:01,679 Speaker 1: was a pretty effective preserve. We have to remember that 211 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 1: this was centuries before anything like refrigeration existed totally. 212 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:10,319 Speaker 2: And also not to mention an article from history dot 213 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:13,640 Speaker 2: com called Jiggle It The History of Geladin's Aspects and Jellies. 214 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 2: The writer Nate Barksdale mentions the fact that, you know, 215 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 2: we've talked about this in the Protestant Reformation and Butter episode. 216 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 2: Catholics were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays, so 217 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 2: there were late medieval cooks who came up with ways 218 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 2: of making jelly out of fish, and that was like 219 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:36,600 Speaker 2: they would boil fish stock, even use the swim bladders 220 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 2: and an eels were ways of making these meat jellies. 221 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 2: And there was another fish jelly product called icing glass 222 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,600 Speaker 2: that was made using sturgeon. So this was a way 223 00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:54,079 Speaker 2: of being able to preserve that food and also you know, 224 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:56,439 Speaker 2: not eat pig products. 225 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,439 Speaker 1: And jellied eels, by the way, are a traditional English 226 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,480 Speaker 1: dish that is still popular today. And I really want 227 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:06,120 Speaker 1: to try it. Have you ever tried jellied eals? Just 228 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:09,080 Speaker 1: on the off chance we didn't talk about Oh no, no, no, 229 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: you're not into. 230 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:11,680 Speaker 2: It, not for me, thank you? 231 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:14,040 Speaker 1: Well, well, you know, let's put a pin in it. 232 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: I don't want to pear pressure you, but you know, 233 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: what is life if not to be lived my old friend. 234 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 2: One more little story in Japan, even in the late 235 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 2: sixteen hundreds, from the same hisstory dot com article, there 236 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 2: was an innkeeper from Kyoto named Minoya Tarizoman who found 237 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 2: some congealed soup, some fish soup that had been thrown 238 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 2: away and discarded, and noticed that it was congealing. So 239 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 2: that kind of became the inspiration for seaweed jellies that 240 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 2: became quite popular throughout. 241 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:48,640 Speaker 1: Asia and remain popular today. So we're doing pretty well 242 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 1: going chronologically here. Let's look at the first patent. The 243 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 1: first patent for the manufacturer of gelatin arrives in seventeen 244 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: fifty four in England and at the time kind of 245 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:05,160 Speaker 1: a novelty, but everybody knew about it. It's just now 246 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: somebody got the rights to it and it took off, 247 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: especially with the upper crust. 248 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's true, and it wasn't the patent that was 249 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 2: going to really win the day for gelatin based products. 250 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 2: That comes a little later, but we do have the 251 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 2: introduction of kind of someone you could consider to be 252 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 2: the world's first celebrity chef, a man by the name 253 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 2: of Marie Antoine Karame, and in an NPR piece by 254 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 2: Nicole Jankowski, she kind of describes how Karame really revolutionized 255 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 2: the use of gelatin for these opulent culinary creations. He 256 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 2: was actually born the sixteenth child of very very poor 257 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 2: parents in Paris in the late seventeen hundreds, either seventeen 258 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,800 Speaker 2: eighty three or seventeen eighty four, and was abandoned by 259 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:59,240 Speaker 2: his parents during the most violent days of the French Revolution. 260 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 2: Worked his way up from a kitchen boy to a 261 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 2: apprentice of a well known pastry chef named Sylvan Bailey, 262 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:11,400 Speaker 2: and then found his way to having his own shop. 263 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:15,760 Speaker 2: And that was largely because he created these insane edible 264 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:19,640 Speaker 2: replicas of late eighteenth century buildings, some of the most 265 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 2: famous buildings, things like the ancient ruins of Athens or 266 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 2: Chinese fortresses and things like that, and they were quite 267 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 2: tall and were displayed in the window of his bakery 268 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 2: and he turned some heads, folks like Napoleon Bonaparte and 269 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 2: French diplomats like Charles Maurice did telerand Paragord decided to 270 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,320 Speaker 2: employ him, and Paragord actually got him to make a 271 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 2: full menu for his own personal estate. And it was 272 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 2: later when his creations made it to Europe when the 273 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 2: Prince Regent, George the fourth asked him to come over 274 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:59,160 Speaker 2: and prepare a menu for a party that he was having. 275 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 2: You see, was a huge fan of aspic, and I've 276 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:05,440 Speaker 2: kind of been asking myself, like, what's different in aspec 277 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 2: and gelatin in general. It turns out aspec specifically involves 278 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:11,680 Speaker 2: using like a meat broth, like it's called a consumme, 279 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 2: and it typically is savory, so it can include things 280 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 2: like vegetables or sliced beef or chicken or anything you 281 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:24,200 Speaker 2: could think of. And Krame coined this term chou freu, 282 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 2: which was French for hot cold, and the idea was 283 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:29,440 Speaker 2: that parts of it would be cooked and then it 284 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:33,159 Speaker 2: would be served cold. But the whole idea was it 285 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:34,800 Speaker 2: was a big it was a show. It was a 286 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 2: culinary display of that opulence that you talked about. This 287 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:41,480 Speaker 2: is not something that anyone could have. You had to 288 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:43,719 Speaker 2: have a whole staff to be able to prepare this thing. 289 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 2: I mean it was a pretty serious, almost scientific process 290 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:51,640 Speaker 2: of straining and setting, and in a time before industrialization 291 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 2: and refrigeration, it was a really big deal to be 292 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:56,919 Speaker 2: able to make this stuff. And it caught on in 293 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 2: New York high society as well, and even Thomas Jeffer 294 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 2: Senators Monticello Estate, was a huge fan of having wine 295 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 2: gelatin served with meals. 296 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 1: And that's a very interesting point there about the luxurious 297 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:15,679 Speaker 1: nature and the luxurious origin of this food stuff, of 298 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: this application of food, because later we're going to see 299 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: this change to a matter of convenience as well as status. 300 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: We left off the story with Thomas Jefferson, Let's fast 301 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 1: forward to eighteen forty five when we meet a fellow 302 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: named Peter Cooper. Along with being the inventor of the 303 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: first American built steam locomotive, Pete I'm gonna call him. 304 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 1: Pete created a way to make gelatine more accessible to 305 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: the masses by making it a powder. This is where 306 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:55,040 Speaker 1: we see another patent come into play. He called this 307 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:59,040 Speaker 1: stuff portable gelatine because all you had to do was 308 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 1: to add hot water and Unfortunately, although it's sure caught 309 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 1: on later, Pete did not have much success marketing it, 310 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:12,679 Speaker 1: and he didn't really pursue his invention. Occasionally he sold 311 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:17,880 Speaker 1: it to cooks, but he didn't commercialize it beyond that. 312 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,399 Speaker 1: He was actually more into powdered glue. Believe it or not. 313 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:22,399 Speaker 2: Why don't you think it caught on? It seemed like 314 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 2: it was such a to do to make this stuff 315 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 2: and for someone to be able to be like, hey, 316 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 2: I got the quick fix right here for your gel cooking. 317 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: Right. That's a good point and it's a great question. 318 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 1: So let's go to Rochester, New York, a little town 319 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:40,439 Speaker 1: outside of there, in fact, called Leroy. This is where 320 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:43,480 Speaker 1: we meet a couple by the name of Pearl and 321 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 1: may wait two at the time that we find them 322 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 1: are running a not entirely successful cough syrup and laxative business. 323 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:54,440 Speaker 2: It's a good combo. They should make a combination cough 324 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:57,359 Speaker 2: syrup laxative from when you can't poop and you have 325 00:19:57,440 --> 00:19:59,719 Speaker 2: a bit of a group that they can have that 326 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 2: that can the tagline. 327 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,119 Speaker 1: It could be like that combination Pizza Hut and taco 328 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,600 Speaker 1: bell song. I think we just figured out their marketing 329 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 1: for them. 330 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 2: So what's the scoop, Ben, What did old pearl in 331 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 2: May come up with? 332 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:17,880 Speaker 1: I'm so glad you asked, Noel, because fortunately for this episode, 333 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:23,439 Speaker 1: it wasn't all mediocre laxatiff business, especially because we're a 334 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:28,359 Speaker 1: family show. According to the Chemical Heritage Foundation, the Weight 335 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:33,480 Speaker 1: couple was looking around for something they could do differently right, 336 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: a way to evolve their business into a more successful entity, 337 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 1: and they obtained that earlier patent for powdered gelatin. They 338 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:45,000 Speaker 1: also encountered one of the big cons of gelatin at 339 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:47,479 Speaker 1: the time, which is that it was tasteless. It was 340 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:49,800 Speaker 1: just sort of like this translucent. 341 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,159 Speaker 2: Goop or you see a con. I see a blank 342 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 2: slate rife for innovation, and luckily. 343 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: They did too, because they realized that they could add 344 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:00,679 Speaker 1: syrups to this, and the gelatine, while it may not 345 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:04,680 Speaker 1: have a flavor of its own, is an excellent platform 346 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 1: for other flavors. They blank slated it just as you said. 347 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: They added sugar fruit syrups like raspberry, strawberry, lemon, orange. 348 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,680 Speaker 1: No word if it's orange flour, but orange that's close enough. 349 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 2: Orange flour is so vague. What kind of flower are 350 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:19,120 Speaker 2: we talking? 351 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 1: About I guess literally any flour that is orange rosewater. 352 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's interesting too, Ben, because before the Weights came 353 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:29,399 Speaker 2: into the picture, your buddy Peter Cooper, he didn't just 354 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 2: patent the gelatin. He patented a gelatin dessert mix of 355 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 2: his own creation, which was a powdered mix with lemons, sugar, eggs, 356 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:41,639 Speaker 2: and various spices. But he just didn't have that marketing 357 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 2: prow ass that was required to really sell this to 358 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,320 Speaker 2: the world. And there was a zeitgeist, the element to 359 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:49,479 Speaker 2: this stuff too, that we'll get into in just a second. 360 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:53,520 Speaker 1: For now, you're probably wondering, folks, where did this name 361 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:56,879 Speaker 1: jello come from? We'll tell you. So the Weight couple 362 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:00,919 Speaker 1: had this gelatin idea right, and that they flavored it, 363 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 1: made it about eighty eight percent sugar, but they were overjoyed. 364 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:07,640 Speaker 1: Nobody was worried about the sugar content at that time. 365 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:11,160 Speaker 1: They were overjoyed because it tasted good. And may wait 366 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:16,480 Speaker 1: named this new favorite dessert jello. It's important combining the 367 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: words gelatine and jelly, both of which derive from the 368 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:23,080 Speaker 1: Latin meaning to congeal or to freeze. 369 00:22:23,119 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 2: And oh man, it's good. 370 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:25,439 Speaker 1: There we go. 371 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's mine. 372 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:30,240 Speaker 1: I thought that was good. As for the O part, 373 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:34,200 Speaker 1: historians attribute it to just a naming trend. It was 374 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,159 Speaker 1: apparently very popular to add oh at the end of 375 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:38,000 Speaker 1: your product name. 376 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,600 Speaker 2: Whammo, there we go, bingo. 377 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 1: I feel like you're on a roll tally ho which 378 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: I give us that that last one is? 379 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:48,440 Speaker 2: I was old. Yeah, do you think of anything? No, 380 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 2: you're right there, like Wizzo, like not only product names, 381 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:52,760 Speaker 2: but even like company names, right. 382 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:58,560 Speaker 1: Sure, yeah, Blinko, Rinko, et cetera probably had a futuristic vibe. Apparently, 383 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:01,359 Speaker 1: according to the Dictionary of Trade Origins, which is a 384 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:06,439 Speaker 1: real book, the practice began because adding oh seemed visually appealing. 385 00:23:07,119 --> 00:23:11,120 Speaker 1: In addition, you could take a common word and easily 386 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 1: modify it to make a trademark. An example would be graino, 387 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: real thing. 388 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 2: Oh, draino. That's a legacy one too. And it's cool too, 389 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:22,399 Speaker 2: because one thing that's neat about the jello thing I 390 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,679 Speaker 2: mean needs not the right word. But it's sort of 391 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:27,480 Speaker 2: like our buddy Edward Burnees who sort of figured out 392 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 2: how to show the pork industry how they could sell 393 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:36,640 Speaker 2: this disgusting byproduct we now know as bacon and make 394 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 2: it like the number one breakfast food in America. Gelatine 395 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:45,320 Speaker 2: was just a way of like using these discarded scraps 396 00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:48,159 Speaker 2: and bits from the meat packing industry and turning it 397 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:50,360 Speaker 2: into something you could then sell back to the public. 398 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:52,560 Speaker 2: But the most important aspect of it that had been 399 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 2: missing up to this point was that marketing win that 400 00:23:56,200 --> 00:24:00,200 Speaker 2: Edward Burnees who is the godfather of advertising. That's sort 401 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 2: of spin, yeah, exactly. So Pearl and May were great 402 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:10,119 Speaker 2: at making Jello, but they weren't super fantastic at selling it, 403 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 2: and they didn't have the capital to push it out 404 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:16,119 Speaker 2: successfully in the market. And that's why on September eighth, 405 00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:19,680 Speaker 2: in eighteen ninety nine, the couple sold the formula, patent 406 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:22,879 Speaker 2: and the name entire Jello, the entire brand of Jello 407 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 2: to their neighbor, a man named Frank Woodward, who at 408 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 2: the time was the owner of the Genesee Food Company, 409 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:31,639 Speaker 2: and they sold it for about what was it, four 410 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 2: hundred and fifty dollars. Yeah, and with our handy dandy 411 00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:39,639 Speaker 2: inflation calculator, that equates to roughly eleven grand by today's standards. 412 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 1: So Woodward knew his business. He was already successful at 413 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,920 Speaker 1: selling packaged food and he took the techniques he learned 414 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:51,240 Speaker 1: and applied them to jello. He had his salesforce dressed 415 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: in fancy suits and go around to houses offering free samples, 416 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: right just like the bad kids do in every drug 417 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:05,160 Speaker 1: war PSA the first one's free. And they would do 418 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 1: so many things to convince grocery store owners to stock 419 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:13,880 Speaker 1: shelves with boxes of this powdered gelatine jello. And they 420 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 1: still had the original four flavors strawberry, raspberry, lemon, and orange. 421 00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 1: But it didn't succeed. Still, like three people have tried 422 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 1: this now with you know, middling success. 423 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,000 Speaker 2: And a great article on Sirius Eats by Sarah Gray 424 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:33,120 Speaker 2: that kind of chronicles the history of the jello salad 425 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 2: mentions a little book by the name of the Jungle 426 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,320 Speaker 2: by Upton Sinclair. It came out in nineteen oh six 427 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:45,120 Speaker 2: that essentially single handedly helped establish the Food and Drug Act, 428 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,240 Speaker 2: which created the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration that 429 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:52,159 Speaker 2: we know today. And it became a big deal for 430 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:55,240 Speaker 2: food to have labels and for things to be seen 431 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:59,440 Speaker 2: as safe and pure. And Jello really jumped all over 432 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:03,160 Speaker 2: that and started using terms like the safety bag and 433 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,840 Speaker 2: the repeated the word pure, according to this article, no 434 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 2: less than three times, even adding it to like the 435 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:10,320 Speaker 2: company's slogan. 436 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 1: Right, So let's take a closer look at Woodward here. 437 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:18,359 Speaker 1: So he's doing his best. He's got the expertise. It 438 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:22,600 Speaker 1: was around nineteen oh four when he and a new 439 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:28,520 Speaker 1: employee named William Hummelbaugh had a brilliant idea. They put 440 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: ads for Jello in The Lady's Home Journal, a nationally 441 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:40,600 Speaker 1: syndicated magazine, and they featured smiling, fashionable homemakers in spotless 442 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: white aprons, proclaiming that jello was quote America's favorite dessert, 443 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 1: and along with the worries of safety that were also 444 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:54,720 Speaker 1: in the zeitgeist at the time, jello was propelled to 445 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:59,480 Speaker 1: the mainstream. Annual sales jumped to two hundred and fifty 446 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,760 Speaker 1: thousand dollars that would be around six a little over 447 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:07,399 Speaker 1: six million today, and kids were begging for the dessert 448 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,360 Speaker 1: because I'm sure, as you know, folks, if you can 449 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:15,040 Speaker 1: convince kids to want something, the parents will usually follow 450 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:20,280 Speaker 1: the lead. And as Noel said, the cookbooks began to 451 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:26,639 Speaker 1: take off. World War One did affect rationing, and after 452 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:32,280 Speaker 1: World War Two, Gelatin's success persisted, it became seen as 453 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:37,960 Speaker 1: a creative cooking tool, and at this point, finally, after 454 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:44,199 Speaker 1: numerous people had tried to market gelatine, it began to 455 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:47,880 Speaker 1: take off. And it took off in the craziest way. 456 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:49,880 Speaker 1: We found some weird examples. 457 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:51,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's true. A guy named Charles Knox who had 458 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:53,800 Speaker 2: his own I don't know. I look at it as 459 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,960 Speaker 2: sort of the utilitarian cousin of Jello. It was just 460 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:00,359 Speaker 2: the Knox Gelatin company, and just to pack it looks 461 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:02,520 Speaker 2: very much the same today as it did then, very 462 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 2: little bells and whistles, no flavors. He took it to 463 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:08,960 Speaker 2: the World's Fair in nineteen oh four and had a 464 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:14,200 Speaker 2: competition where anyone could submit their own recipes using gelatin, 465 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:17,639 Speaker 2: and a woman who here in this Serious Eats articles 466 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:22,000 Speaker 2: only referred to as missus John Cook from Newcastle, Pennsylvania 467 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:25,720 Speaker 2: one third prize in the competition with a thing that 468 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:30,640 Speaker 2: she created called perfection salad. Not gentleman salad. Perfection salad. 469 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:33,480 Speaker 2: And I actually found a recipe for this thing. I'm 470 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:38,040 Speaker 2: gonna describe it to you. It is a mountain of 471 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:43,560 Speaker 2: molded orange, kind of foggy gelatin, filled with an assortment 472 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 2: of shredded ruffage, and the recipe goes like this, two 473 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:52,800 Speaker 2: envelopes unflavored gelatine, a half cup sugar, one teaspoon salt, 474 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:56,000 Speaker 2: one can apple juice, a half cup lemon juice, two 475 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 2: tablespoons vinegar, one cup shredded carrot, one cup sliced celery, 476 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 2: one cup finally shredded cabbage, a half cup chopped green pepper, 477 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 2: and one can chopped pimento. And it is if absolutely 478 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 2: foul looking, but it caught on. People loved it. They 479 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 2: wanted to be part of the jello wave of the future, 480 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 2: and this really kind of created this demand. And another 481 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:23,720 Speaker 2: era we're using jello showed opulence because we were entering 482 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 2: the time of refrigeration. 483 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:36,240 Speaker 1: As the United States enters this industrial boom, the world 484 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:39,680 Speaker 1: of two point five kids, a car in every garage, 485 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:44,760 Speaker 1: and endless suburbs, people wanted to keep up with the Joneses, 486 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 1: and one of the best ways to do it was 487 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:52,719 Speaker 1: to have the latest appliance. Right is similar to microwave cooking. 488 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,520 Speaker 1: A little bit later in history, people wanted to have 489 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 1: refrigerators and if you were bringing a jello salad to 490 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: the pot luck or to the party, that I don't know, 491 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:06,920 Speaker 1: the kid's birthday party, the barbecue. It showed that you 492 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,800 Speaker 1: and your family had one of those new fangled refrigerators. 493 00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:16,400 Speaker 1: And we cannot, we cannot overestimate Missus Cook's effect on 494 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:17,560 Speaker 1: the demand for jello. 495 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:17,960 Speaker 2: Food. 496 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 1: Historian James Beard observed in his in his book American 497 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:28,280 Speaker 1: Cookery that Missus Cook's victory at the World's Fair unleashed 498 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 1: a demand for congealed salads that, according to Beard, this 499 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:34,800 Speaker 1: is in nineteen seventy two. He says, this a demand 500 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:38,920 Speaker 1: for congealed salads that has grown alarmingly, particularly in the suburbs. 501 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 2: Alarmingly the invasion of the jella mold. Yeah, he went 502 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:44,920 Speaker 2: on to as well, he did, he couched it. He 503 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,480 Speaker 2: went on to say, quote, the jellied salad does have 504 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 2: its delights, though, and it is without question an American innovation, 505 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:54,440 Speaker 2: no doubt about it, mister Beard here here. 506 00:30:54,920 --> 00:30:59,040 Speaker 1: So now we've set the stage. We've got knocks, we've 507 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:03,080 Speaker 1: got jello. We've got people nowadays arguing that you can 508 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:07,040 Speaker 1: follow American social history by looking at the history of jello. 509 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 2: As I know, we haven't really talked about this much, 510 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:12,200 Speaker 2: but there was a whole kind of iconography associated with 511 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:15,440 Speaker 2: jello packaging. Some of the early ones used illustrations by 512 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:18,680 Speaker 2: Norman Rockwell, right. And then there was what was it 513 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:20,680 Speaker 2: ben the jello girl, sort of like a. 514 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:27,640 Speaker 1: Spokes thing, introduced in nineteen oh eight and instrumental, crucial 515 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:32,400 Speaker 1: in making American consumers connect the idea of jello with 516 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:39,000 Speaker 1: again the purity, the innocence of childhood. And although sales 517 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:43,160 Speaker 1: of sugar and you know, therefore jello were rationed during 518 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:46,400 Speaker 1: World War One, between the twenties and thirties, the popularity 519 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:51,720 Speaker 1: of gelatin salads soars and there were pragmatic reasons behind this. 520 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:58,440 Speaker 1: The depression forced homemakers to stretch ingredients as far as possible. 521 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:01,560 Speaker 2: That also included things like sugar that you would have separately, 522 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,280 Speaker 2: and many recues require you to add sugar. You didn't 523 00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:06,520 Speaker 2: have to do that when you're using jello because the 524 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 2: sugar was already part of the mix. 525 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's a really good point. And so now 526 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: we see not just the idea of refrigeration that comes 527 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:19,120 Speaker 1: into play later, but we also see the idea of status, 528 00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:22,240 Speaker 1: of proving to your friends and neighbors that you can 529 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:26,800 Speaker 1: still do some top notch entertaining despite the rations despite 530 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:30,080 Speaker 1: the shortages. I've got a recipe for all of relish 531 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:32,240 Speaker 1: which I've been to save you the save you the 532 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:35,800 Speaker 1: trouble here, folks, it seems kind of gross. Olives, pickles, celery, 533 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:40,680 Speaker 1: and vinegar all in a lovely a lovely amalgamation with 534 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:47,000 Speaker 1: lime jello, right right, But now we see kind of 535 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:51,240 Speaker 1: a Bernesian if I could use that word, a Bernasian 536 00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 1: approach to marketing here, or an aspect of it, because 537 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:58,600 Speaker 1: we have to ask ourselves, did people genuinely like this 538 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: stuff or did they instead like being people who could 539 00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:04,120 Speaker 1: make it? 540 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:05,960 Speaker 2: Well. It's like I said, with my mom and the 541 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 2: gentleman salad, her mom would have come from that original 542 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:12,240 Speaker 2: time where this was something that was seen as a 543 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:15,440 Speaker 2: status symbol, and she was all about these status symbols. 544 00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:16,960 Speaker 2: That's where my mom got the whole idea of having 545 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:20,720 Speaker 2: a lovely table place setting. It was all very, very 546 00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:24,120 Speaker 2: important during times where things were much more scarce to 547 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:27,160 Speaker 2: show that you were kind of above the fray. I 548 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 2: guess I mean it seems a little, I don't know, 549 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:32,640 Speaker 2: a little shallow to me personally, but I can see 550 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:34,600 Speaker 2: how it would have felt important to kind of keep 551 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 2: your spirits up and to make your family feel like 552 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,120 Speaker 2: you had you know, you were one of the halves, 553 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:44,600 Speaker 2: I guess. But of course, like things do, these kind 554 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:50,280 Speaker 2: of Jello salad aspect meat monstrosities fell out of favor, 555 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:54,160 Speaker 2: and Jello kind of took it was its original place 556 00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:57,600 Speaker 2: as an easy to make dessert. You had Bill Cosby 557 00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:01,160 Speaker 2: swooping in, you know, back when he wasn't persona non 558 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:07,080 Speaker 2: grata advertising Jello jigglers. Remember Jello jigglers. Sure for kids 559 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:09,319 Speaker 2: they used like a little cookie cutter and they were 560 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:12,400 Speaker 2: a little They used a little bit stiffer gelatine, I think, 561 00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:14,319 Speaker 2: so you could pick them up and play with them. 562 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,279 Speaker 1: They wanted a gritty reboot. You're absolutely right. By the 563 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:21,720 Speaker 1: nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties, the golden age of Jello 564 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:23,920 Speaker 1: had sort of passed, and that's why in nineteen eighty 565 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 1: six they decided to rebrand. They got Bill Cosby, phenomenally 566 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:32,800 Speaker 1: successful comic at the time, and it was sort of 567 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:37,120 Speaker 1: the world made new because Americans were no longer as 568 00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:41,719 Speaker 1: readily familiar with the concept of aspects. And if you 569 00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 1: had brought a perfection salad or a couple of other 570 00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:50,120 Speaker 1: really choice gelatin dishes, that will probably read off at 571 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:52,080 Speaker 1: the end. If you brought those to a pot luck 572 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:54,319 Speaker 1: in the seventies or eighties, people would be like, what 573 00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:58,480 Speaker 1: are you doing? I thought we were friends. Why can't 574 00:34:58,480 --> 00:34:59,719 Speaker 1: you just tell me you don't like me? 575 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's sort of like bringing someone a fruitcake for Christmas. 576 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:06,719 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, we did do an episode in the Oldest Fruitcake. 577 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:08,040 Speaker 1: Remember that, I do. 578 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:10,719 Speaker 2: And it goes back to that that question you asked earlier, Ben, 579 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:13,680 Speaker 2: did people really like the way this stuff tasted? Or 580 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:15,920 Speaker 2: was it just like the placebo effect of kind of 581 00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:19,479 Speaker 2: associating it with status and therefore you could choke it down. 582 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:22,320 Speaker 2: I like all kinds of stuff, Ben, I'm a relatively 583 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:25,520 Speaker 2: adventurous eater, but literally every single one of these things 584 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 2: seems absolutely inedible and disgusting to me. And I don't 585 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:32,920 Speaker 2: think I could ever convince myself otherwise, you know. 586 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:37,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, but we also have to remember that that numerous 587 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:40,600 Speaker 1: folks in the audience wrote back about vinegar pie, and 588 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,759 Speaker 1: you were all absolutely correct. I'm kind of converted. Oh 589 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:46,080 Speaker 1: it sounds great, but I'm not gonna tell you what 590 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:47,880 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna try. Let's let's read off some of 591 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:50,120 Speaker 1: these gross recipes you want to for sure. All right, 592 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:54,560 Speaker 1: So emeralds candle lope is not that bad. You put lime, 593 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:56,320 Speaker 1: jello and canned pineapp on the candle. 594 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:56,880 Speaker 2: It's fun. 595 00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:57,839 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's fun. 596 00:35:57,880 --> 00:35:59,960 Speaker 2: It fills the it, it fills the gap. 597 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:00,400 Speaker 1: Mm hm. 598 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:02,279 Speaker 2: There's another one with a melon. You can do that 599 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:03,719 Speaker 2: kind of You cut a half a melon and a 600 00:36:03,719 --> 00:36:05,799 Speaker 2: half and you put jello in the in the hole 601 00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:07,360 Speaker 2: and that you know, you can scoop it out, so 602 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:09,560 Speaker 2: it's sort of like double texture for your money. 603 00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:13,600 Speaker 1: Tell you what though, salmon and cottage cheese with boiled 604 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:17,839 Speaker 1: eggs as a garnish. Nah, no, sir, no, I I've 605 00:36:17,880 --> 00:36:21,560 Speaker 1: just thought it's a jellied lamb salad. No, it's a pass. 606 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:24,960 Speaker 1: I know we talked about lime jelly salads, but do 607 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,640 Speaker 1: we talk about lime cheese salad. 608 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:28,080 Speaker 2: Nope? 609 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:31,640 Speaker 1: Do you want to skip that with it? Yeah? How 610 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:32,040 Speaker 1: do you? 611 00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:33,879 Speaker 2: Oh? You know, I do have that that I think 612 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:36,799 Speaker 2: is a modern example of this actually working and for 613 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:39,359 Speaker 2: me personally, there is a place here in Atlanta called 614 00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:42,160 Speaker 2: the Spotted Trotter that makes their own pataise, and a 615 00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:45,720 Speaker 2: lot of patais will have a little layer of aspect 616 00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:48,280 Speaker 2: on the top, so it's just like a small layer 617 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:51,160 Speaker 2: of like a ginger aspect, so that it's made with 618 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:54,040 Speaker 2: like a consume or a beef broth, but it's flavored 619 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:57,319 Speaker 2: with ginger. And when it's almost like a jelly or 620 00:36:57,719 --> 00:37:00,279 Speaker 2: a chutney of some kind. So it's really good for 621 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:02,239 Speaker 2: like you know, mixing with a pet or putting on 622 00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:04,279 Speaker 2: a piece of toast or something like that. It sort 623 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:06,719 Speaker 2: of mixes the savory with the sweet. But to me, 624 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:09,719 Speaker 2: it's when you really go full board down that you know, 625 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 2: savory jello thing that's just just I like it, maybe 626 00:37:13,719 --> 00:37:16,960 Speaker 2: as like a garnish or as an additive, but you know, 627 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:20,360 Speaker 2: all on its own. Oh boy, and the photography and 628 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:23,279 Speaker 2: some of these cookbooks, it's just like who gave the 629 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:24,480 Speaker 2: green light to that picture? 630 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:27,719 Speaker 1: You know. We invite you to check these out firsthand 631 00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:32,759 Speaker 1: and send us some of your favorites. And favorite here 632 00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:34,719 Speaker 1: is a tricky word. It can be the one that 633 00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:37,640 Speaker 1: you were most fascinated by or the one you have 634 00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:43,360 Speaker 1: actually tried. We of course, are not knocking anybody's personal taste. 635 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:46,360 Speaker 2: You can send us that stuff to ridiculous at HowStuffWorks 636 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 2: dot com or hit us up on the social media 637 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:51,520 Speaker 2: the Facebook, the Instagram, where we are also Ridiculous History. 638 00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:55,840 Speaker 1: As always, we'd like to thank our super producer Casey 639 00:37:55,920 --> 00:38:01,200 Speaker 1: Pegram as well as author Maria Trimarchi, who wrote Ridiculous History. 640 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:04,800 Speaker 1: What's for Dinner Meet Jello available on howstufforks dot com. 641 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:07,960 Speaker 2: Also thanks to our pal Alex Williams for composing our theme, 642 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:11,000 Speaker 2: and most importantly, thanks to you guys for tuning in 643 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:13,520 Speaker 2: and hanging out with us for another episode of Ridiculous History. 644 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:23,640 Speaker 2: We'll see you next time. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 645 00:38:23,719 --> 00:38:26,960 Speaker 2: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 646 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:28,080 Speaker 2: to your favorite shows