Page 122 - United States of Pie

LET’S TALK ABOUT CORN SYRUP

Corn syrup: in recent years those two little words have earned
themselves quite a reputation. In short, corn syrup is a sugarlike
substance developed from cornstarch. Ounce for ounce it is about
as sweet as sugar, but comes in a viscous syrup that prevents
crystallization and keeps foods moist. Let’s get something
straight: corn syrup is not a natural substance, but it has been

around, and baked with, in this country since the early twentieth
century. There are two kinds of corn syrups available: light and
dark. Light corn syrup is basically a clear liquid flavored with a
bit of vanilla. It tastes like table sugar. Dark corn syrup is the
color of maple syrup and has a rich, caramel-like taste. Do you
love the smooth, sumptuous filling in pecan pie? Thank corn
syrup. What about the smooth texture of a lollipop? It’s the corn

syrup that makes it a lollipop rather than crystallized rock candy.
Many of the sweets we eat, and especially those with a smooth
and tender mouthfeel, are made with corn syrup.
So what makes us utter those two words in hushed tones?
While corn syrup itself may not be so terrible, its kin, high-

fructose corn syrup, is the evil stepsister. To make high-fructose
corn syrup, manufacturers process regular corn syrup, creating
the enzymes fructose and glucose, the main ingredients in high-
fructose corn syrup. While high-fructose corn syrup isn’t sold
directly to you, it is found in virtually every processed food that
we consume. The U.S. Department of Agriculture subsidizes
corn production but taxes imported sugar, making the use of
high-fructose corn syrup cheaper for producers and less

expensive to consumers. But the consumption of high-fructose
corn syrup comes with its health risks—obesity, liver
complications, and diabetes, to name a few.
A few recipes in this book use corn syrup. This book re-creates
heirloom recipes. They are much-loved standards. So I opted to

use the ingredients that were available to women in history,