scratch made, hand made, house made, artisan…..
These terms used to mean something. They implied connection, quality time spent in the kitchen with a grandmother, and the magic of transforming raw ingredients into a delicious and nourishing meal for the family. Thanks to the marketing machine of the modern industrial food system these terms have become corrupt and lost their meaning. How did we ever get to the place where slicing and baking premade Nestle Toll House cookie dough or mixing powdered artificial lemonade mix with water result in foods we now call homemade?
The type of disconnect that has diluted these terms to such an absurd level is the result of 150 years of concerted efforts to disconnect consumers from their food. This disconnect provides the space for “big food” to step in and sell us food that is marketed with the nostalgia of a time when we actually made our own food but lacking the nutrition, flavor, or meaning that it used to hold. As big food has stepped in and dominated almost all aspects of food production it has intentionally squeezed the consumer experience to the very tip of the food chain. And, we consumers continue to pay the price in quality, nutrition, safety, and meaning of our food.
what happens at the beginning is critical
The techniques, technologies and strategies used by our ancestors to transform raw ingredients into their safest, most nutrient dense and bioavailable forms happen at the beginning of the production process. Not the end. These early stage interventions include strategies such as fermenting, soaking, sprouting, nixtamalizing, grinding, drying, and cooking. They involve controlling pH and temperature and hydration. They mean babysitting trillions of wild bacteria and yeast (like in the photo below) and carefully coaxing them into a place where they magically create the basis for practically all traditional diets through time and place.
the end is all appearance
Conversely, what happens at the end of the process is all about appearance and flavor. Although significant, these considerations are nowhere near as important as the nourishing metamorphosis that takes place at the beginning. Equally important is the fact that participating in the beginning of the process creates connection with ingredients, where they come from, and the people that produced them.
the illusion of ‘Handcrafted’ Food: why the start of the process matters most
The most important part of the food making process, the beginning, has been co-opted by the industrial aspect of our food system so they have shifted our consumer focus to the easy, less meaningful parts at the end that can easily be accomplished anywhere but essentially mean absolutely nothing when it comes to safety and nutrition. This, unfortunately, has also permeated the food service industry. Far too many schools, hospitals, and even restaurants “finish” or simply “assemble” ingredients that have been fully processed remotely on an industrial scale and somehow this final action has become enough to warrant labels such as scratch made, house made, home made and artisan.
Consumers should beware when what is advertised or marketed is an action that occurs at the end of the process.
- “Hand tossed” salads are too often made up of lettuce and other vegetables that arrive precut (sometimes already mixed together) and simply combined with dressings from a tub laden with industrial nut and seed oils.
- “Hand pressed” tortillas are almost always made from industrially produced dried masa flour mixed with water.
- “Fresh baked” bread and pastries typically means baking trays of bread or croissants that arrive frozen and stored in the freezer.
- Burger joints boast that they have “hand pressed” patties but do not tell you that what they are pressing on the griddle is CAFO beef shipped to them pre ground.
- Pizza shops that advertise “hand stretched” mozzarella often simply heat (sometimes in the microwave) industrially made curd that comes in a big box and, for the purpose of increasing shelf life shortcuts production by bypassing fermentation and artificially acidifying by adding citric acid, lactic acid or acetic acid.
The purpose of these advertising schemes is to convey that nostalgic sense of food being carefully made by someone who is fully plugged into the food system and cares deeply about your health but, they are essentially meaningless.
We deserve more. Our bodies require more.
A new definition
So, what does “scratch made” really mean? That’s a great question and I enjoy mental exercises like writing this blog post that force me to explore meaningful topics like this more deeply and rethink definitions I previously took for granted. In my heart I know what scratch means to me but articulating it is not as easy. But, here goes. I want to offer a definition that is essentially the heart of what we do at the Modern Stone Age Kitchen.
Before I offer a definition it would be helpful to review how the dictionary defines scratch made. Here are a few:
- from the very beginning, especially without utilizing or relying on any previous work for assistance
- From the very beginning, from the outset; from nothing.
- to make it without any ingredients or materials prepared ahead of time
the modern stone age scratch made definition
At the MSAK, scratch made means:
Beginning with the rawest, most basic ingredients possible and processing them using ancestral and traditional approaches to create food that is genuinely nourishing and honors life, culture, terroir, seasonality, and the farmers, ranchers, hunters and foragers that provided them.
the takeaway: it’s simpler than you think
- Demand more from your food no matter where you eat: your home, your school, your hospital and your restaurants.
- Do not be afraid to ask questions.
- It is your money, your body and your health.
- Make sure whoever is preparing your food is focused on the beginning of the process and not just the end.
- Advanced plating techniques can make unhealthy food look appetizing, but it cannot make unhealthy food healthy no matter how pretty it looks.
Here is a quick “hack” to make sure the scratch-made food you are eating was actually made from scratch…ask where the ingredients came from!!!
If the school, hospital or restaurant is involved in the early part of the process they should have a direct connection with whoever is supplying the raw ingredients and they should be able to tell you everything you want to know.
- If they are making the salad, ask what farm the vegetables came from.
- If they are making tortillas from scratch ask where the maize came from and what variety it is.
- If they are making the bread, ask where the flour came from.
- If they are making the burgers, ask where the beef came from.
- And, if they are really making the cheese, ask where the milk came from.
The takeaway is simple: demand more from your food by focusing on the beginning of the process, not just the end, and ensure those preparing it are truly connected to the ingredients and their sources.
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Thanks for the entertaining food for thought!
My sourdough starter is starting to bubble.