The Dorito Effect

May 1, 2015

Schatzker (Steak: One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest Piece of Beef) here examines the state of the American food industry and its role in the rising obesity epidemic. He contends that foods such as tomatoes are losing flavor owing to modern agricultural practices; meanwhile, "things" such as chips and fast food have become highly flavored to taste more appealing. Schatzker traces the development of Big Flavor beginning with the birth of the Dorito and the development of flavor technology. The second half of the book is heavy on scientific information, focusing on numerous studies of eating, nutrition, and flavor. Schatzker makes his case for curing this problem by seeking out several foods that were specifically cultivated for their taste. He encourages readers to eat fewer flavored "things" and seek out tastier varieties of real foods. VERDICT While readers may get bogged down in the lengthy discussion of scientific studies, the discussion of the development of flavor technology will be of interest to those who enjoyed Michael Moss's Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us.--Melissa Stoeger, Deerfield P.L., IL

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2015
Sugars, carbs, and fats have been repeatedly identified as villains in America's present-day battle with obesity, but investigative journalist Schatzker calls them only a very small part of a larger issue. Industrial agriculture may have brought lots of cheap food to America's tables, but way too much of it lacks flavor and full nutrition. To offer eaters something beyond bland, chefs have to brine today's birds and pour on a cabinetful of spices and herbs. Meticulously analyzing current research involving diverse subjects such as urine-eating goats and caterpillar-consuming wasps, Schatzker casts the greatest share of blame for obesity on the ubiquity of artificial flavorings, which deceive the palate, distort natural curbs on appetite, and provoke overconsumption of nutritionally deficient food. Fortunately for American consumers, there is hope: farmers are returning to heirloom breeds of chickens and pigs and to older cultivars of plants in order to give foods the flavors their grandparents relished. This is a provocative new take on American eating.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)