Gelatin History
The word gelatin comes to us via the French gelatine meaning edible jelly and gelato meaning to freeze. In Italian, it is gelatina."A jellye made of bones of beef" was mentioned in the diary of Englishman John Evelyn in 1682 when describing the results of a demonstration of the first pressure cooker.
Gelatin, an odorless, colorless, tasteless thickening agent, is the nutritious glutinous protein material obtained from animal tissues by boiling. Most comes from beef bones, cartilage and tendons and pig skin.
Aspic is the clarified savory jelly made from meat, fish or vegetable stock.
Gelatin granules swell up to approximately ten times their original size when moistened, trapping water molecules in the process.
More About Gelatin and Gelatin Recipes
• Gelatin Cooking Tips• Gelatin Varieties and Types
• Gelatin History
• Gelatin Recipes
Gelatin Photo © 2007 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.
