The Ingredients

In a previous post, I said that cake is in most cases made up eggs, milk, sugar, flour, baking powder and butter. But where do these things all come from? The geographical aspect of the ingredients is where they come from and who produces them.


Eggs:
In Ireland, eggs are produced by local farms. Female hens lay the eggs, then they are distributed to various places.


Milk:
Most cows are milked two times per day. The milk is stored and refrigerated (at four degrees celcius) for no more than fourty-eight hours. Then, the milk is collected and brought to a processing facility. Once it has been processed, it is sent out to shops.


Sugar:
Cane sugar is sent to a country where it can be refined. Firstly, the sugar crystals are immersed in a concentrated syrup that softens the crystals and removes the coating without dissolving them. Next, any and all impurities are removed from the sugar. Following this, the colour is removed. Finally, the last parts of the processing take place and the sugar is ready to be packaged and distributed.


Flour:
When flour was first used, it was made by grinding grain between stones. Today, a common method of making flour is by grinding grain using stones which are called stone mill. In Ireland, flour is made and distributed by several companies, an example being "Odlums".


Baking Powder:
Usually, baking powder is made up of baking soda, cream of tartar and corn starch. Baking powder is made by combining these core ingredients before they are packaged. Baking powder was first developed in the mid 1800's.


Butter:
Butter is made by beating cream until it becomes solid. Most companies who produce butter add various other things into it, but pure butter doesn't. Butter is produced by many Irish companies such as Kerry Gold.

My source of information about the production of refined sugar is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar#Refining My source of information about the production of milk is: http://parmalat.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=222
My source of information about the production of flour is: http://howisitmade.org/how-is-flour-made/
My source of information about the production of baking powder is: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Baking-Powder.html
My source of information about the production of butter is: http://www.wisegeek.org/how-is-butter-made.htm