The very next sentence from that quote sounds a lot worse and harder to explain away though:

> In at least one case cited in the investigation, baking powder was mixed into food to make tourists physically unwell.

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698969 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

In Nepal, my parents always warned me before eating at some rest stops because they said the food was doctored with baking soda to make you feel fuller, guess it was true after all and not just an urban legend heh.

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ihaveajob 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I've heard the same from South Indian friends, so I guess it's pretty widespread.

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scorpionfeet 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Totally an urban legend. What do people think Alia seltzer is made from? You know the thing you take to feel better after eating too much?

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valarauko 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I've sometimes used baking soda to accelerate softening of beans, and I imagine the effect is more appreciable at higher altitudes perhaps? Some of the usage of baking soda could be innocent enough.

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scorpionfeet 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Alkalinity softens the husk of legumes. Look up nixtamalization. It’s what the Aztecs invented.

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SketchySeaBeast 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Did we discover a new diet hack?

	▲	scorpionfeet 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		A few thousand years ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixtamalization

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ChrisMarshallNY 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Try using it on meat. Turns it into pink slurry.

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papercrane 4 hours ago | parent [-]

You're using too much! Its commonly used to improve meat texture, especially in Chinese cuisine. It's called "velveting".

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torhorway 3 hours ago | parent [-]

you're thinking of corn starch

	▲	Hikikomori 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Both are used, for different reasons, but it's a pretty loose term. Can also use enzymes or other alkaline things. With or without a marinade. Pass through oil or water, or just stir fry with a little extra oil.

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MengerSponge 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

No reasonable person would be confused by use of baking soda as an ingredient in cooked food (reasonable) vs the addition of baking soda after cooking as an adulterant.

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EA-3167 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

An amount of soda sufficient to make you ill would be very VERY detectable in food. Speaking as someone who makes their own honeycomb toffee and soda bread, it's really easy to mess up the ratios and end up with an excess that tastes nasty, and that excess is pretty small.

A small amount won't make a different, it'll just stimulate a bit more H+ production from your stomach's proton pumps.

Edit: The article I read claims the scam involved baking powder, which makes even less sense given that it's even more noticeable, bitter and metallic.