See also: Nutritional values for stock cube
What is the stock cube
From its invention to the present day
The discovery of the stock cube dates back to the early nineteenth century, when the French pharmacist Antoine-Auguste Parmentier (1737-1813), at the request of the French army, proposed potatoes and meat extracts to feed the soldiers engaged against the reintroduction of monarchy in some European states. His idea, partially rejected, was taken up by Justus von Liebig (1803-1872) who, considered the inventor of the stock cube, in reality limited himself to applying Parmentier's idea on an industrial scale. The original recipe provided for the use of broth, obtained with beef and salt, a fundamental ingredient for its conservation. 30 kg of meat were needed to produce 1 kg of extract.
The storability at room temperature, together with the practicality of use, strongly conditioned the success and diffusion of this new product.
Meat, the main ingredient of the now unobtainable Liebig meat extract, has been largely replaced by salt and monosodium glutamate, an ingredient that, although natural and considered safe, has been and still is the subject of controversy over its safety. sodium content of a normal broth cube can thus exceed, by itself, the maximum daily limit allowed. The excess of this nutrient can cause, in predisposed people or those who already suffer from hypertension, an increase in blood pressure, sometimes associated with gastritis.
Quality
How to evaluate the quality of a good stock cube
The stock cube gives flavor to foods precisely because it consists mainly of salt and monosodium glutamate. The presence of meat is in many cases negligible and less than 5%. Considering that a stock cube weighs about 10 grams, the amount of meat inside it does not normally exceed half a gram.
It goes without saying, therefore, that a nut is better the greater the percentage of meat it contains. However, the quantitative aspect is not the only important element, the current legislation specifies that the extract is exclusively based on beef, while stock cubes and granular preparations can include among their ingredients other types of meat and any part of the animal (better not to dwell on a useless as well as disgusting list).
Compared to the original meat extract, modern stock cubes also have a lower water content and are much richer in fat. In addition to the massive use of flavor enhancers, the widespread habit of adding hydrogenated fats or poor quality vegetable oils , contributes to further worsening the health and quality aspect of the product. From a strictly energetic point of view, also considering the reduced intake dose, the stock cube is a food low in calories. However, this aspect is not able to compensate for the poor quality of the ingredients used.
To check the proportion between the various components (meat, salt, glutamate and fats) just remember that, according to the regulations in force, the various ingredients must appear on the label in a decreasing quantitative order. Thus, if salt is the main constituent of our nut, it must appear first in the list of ingredients and be followed, according to the same criteria, by all the others. In the event that the percentage of glutamate exceeds 10%, the wording "based on glutamate" must appear on the package. cereals, mainly produced with yeast extract. Finally, the broths in powder or granular form are easy to dose, dissolve easily and have a lower fat content (used as thickeners in traditional cube). They are therefore placed halfway between the real meat extract, now unobtainable, and the common stock cube.
Vegetable Cube in Cream - No Cooking
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Homemade Passatelli in Broth
Alice is on air on MypersonaltrainerTv to explain step by step how to prepare one of the most popular Emilian recipes: passatelli in broth.
Passatelli in Romagna-style broth
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