Do you like Fish N Chips? And, do you know what are the skills, scale and technology involved in making it? The fifth season of Inside the Factory that will air on Sony BBC Earth, will give you an exclusive access to the largest factories in Europe and uncover the astonishing processes that keep high-volume manufacturing on track.
The show features MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace, who lifts the lid on a wide range of products including Cherry Bakewell tarts, croissants, high-end wax jackets, and mattresses. Outside the factory, television presenter Cherry Healey investigates the science and innovation behind each product, while historian Ruth Goodman reveals how it was invented and popularised.
A MISTAKE IN RECIPE
We talk to Goodman to find out more about the delicious food that lands up on our plates. Goodman is a British freelance historian of the early modern period, specialising in offering advice to museums and heritage attractions. She is a specialist in British social history.
In the episode 5, Goodman is sniffing out the origins of one of the Cherry Bakewell’s key ingredients, frangipane. She learns that the familiar fragrant almond filling was born out of a perfume used to disguise the foul smells of 17th century Paris. She also visits the Peak District town of Bakewell and learns how the modern Cherry Bakewell is a descendent of a simple recipe mistake in the kitchen.
FROM POTS TO STEAM ENGINES
Cooking pots might give the impression of evolving according to the change in fires that went from stoves to kitchen tops. But Goodman mentions that it was the process of finding the right pot that would be useful in cooking that led to the invention of steam engines. “Surprisingly, the iron pots that were used back in the days led to an innovation that changed the way people travelled all across the world,” adding, “Small objects have even bigger stories behind them and getting to the bottom of them was something that I really enjoyed doing while on the show.”
Her favourite finding was that of Fish n Chips. Goodman investigated the origins of cod fish fingers and states that Bird’s Eye were the first to introduce them to the UK, basing them on a US product called Fish Sticks.
“The original idea was that Fish Fingers would have been made with the oilier and bonier fish, herring but later settled with cod fish. Now, they have become a symbol of simple finger food that is full of flavour and taste,” she says.
PAST SHAPES THE PRESENT
The historian points out that what we are today is because of how things have evolved in the past. “It is extremely important to take into consideration how things, big or small, have actually shaped the way we live our lives today. And Inside the Factory is doing just that by taking you behind the scenes to know where these small things in life come from,” she says.
The technological marvels have helped in connecting the dots and giving birth to something that is so useful.
Another interesting find that she came across was that of coffee. “UK is famous for its teas, but it turns out that the country has an equally rich history with instant coffee. It was referred to as ‘A cup of Joe’ because it was consumed during the American Civil War in the 1860s. I also visited the site of the UK’s very first coffee house, which sprang up in a London churchyard in 1652, and found out that the early passion for coffee led to the founding of modern institutions, including the Stock Exchange, auction houses and newspapers, a fact that not many people know,” she adds.
Most of us follow traditions and customs blindly. Goodman explains one Christmas tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. “Kissing under the mistletoe is said to bring a lot of love in your lives, but it turns out that this ‘love’ plant is actually a parasite that grows on other plants and can be dangerous,” she says.
It just shows that we have to learn a lot more about the world we live in.
ST READER SERVICE
The Indian television premiere of the Inside the Factory is on Sony BBC Earth on December 16 at 8 pm. The repeat telecast is on December 25, 6-9 pm as a part of Christmas special line up
