The Sporkful Seed Oils Are The Latest Battle In The Cooking Fat Wars
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Dec 1, 2025 In this discussion, food reporter Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong takes listeners on a historical journey through American cooking fats. She reveals how food culture intertwines with health and class, including the rise of Crisco over lard and margarine's reinvention thanks to Eleanor Roosevelt. Adwoa addresses the current panic over seed oils, dissecting the influence of social media and the lack of scientific backing. The conversation highlights recurring themes of American anxiety about food safety and identity throughout history.
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Fat As Social Signifier
- Cooking fats signal health, virtue, and class in American culture.
- The choice of fat often reflects social identity beyond mere taste.
Palm Oil Replaced In Immigrant Kitchens
- Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong describes her parents' West African use of palm oil as culinary central.
- She notes that U.S. criticism pushed her mom toward olive and avocado oil over recent decades.
From Lard Panic To Crisco Trust
- Food adulteration fears in the late 1800s drove demand for regulation and new products.
- Crisco marketed lab-made cottonseed oil as clean, replacing lard despite similar origins.
