The bouillon cube has become a staple in many homes. It is constantly found in soups and sauces, despite the fact that it has a composition that causes great criticism of nutritionists and health professionals. Why can't we do without it, what are the harm and benefits of bouillon cubes, what hides their kind of "bio" and can we independently make such a blank, since we really need it?

The fashion for fast food has come to our kitchens. The leaders in this trend are "one pot" dishes and food that is cooked for at most half an hour. One of these "facilitators" of the culinary process is the bouillon cube of various brands, thanks to which you can quickly and cheaply prepare broth, that is, the basis for many soups and sauces. The most popular are chicken, beef and vegetable bouillon cubes, but you can buy mushroom, veal, etc. in the store. However, this is not the best solution, because such a promising name, alas, has very little to do with the composition.

Broth cube: composition, benefits and harms

The benefits of bouillon cubes are obvious: this is a significant acceleration of cooking, its acquisition of a bright, intense taste. Unfortunately, health benefits are out of the question. Are bouillon cubes harmful? The answer to this question becomes obvious if we consider their composition. A common store product (and it doesn't matter what brand) is a mixture of preservatives, monosodium glutamate and artificial flavors. Salt is generally at the top of the ingredient list, followed immediately by flavor enhancers. Then - sugar, hardened fat based on palm oil, flavors and colors, and only at the very end - traces of dried vegetables and meat.

The harm of bouillon cubes is as follows. If you cook dishes with it often, an excess of ersatz forms in the body, that is, substances whose name begins with E. This, in turn, can lead to:

• weight gain;
• hormonal disorders;
• damage to the retina.
• it is very likely that bouillon cubes also contribute to more frequent headaches and migraines.

Calorie content of bouillon cube

Not only does the composition of bouillon cubes leave much to be desired, but they also have a fairly high energy value. How many calories are in bouillon cubes? In one piece, that is, about 10 grams of the product, 30 calories. Most of the nutrients supplied with this product are vegetable fat. Often, this name hides the cheapest possible, that is, palm oil.

What are the benefits of bio cubes?

An alternative to the not-so-well-known familiar product is their “eco” version, which is increasingly found in stores. Manufacturers guarantee that only natural ingredients are used for their preparation and monosodium glutamate is not added. It is easy to check by reading the composition of the novelty. Most often, you can find there: vegetable oil, thickeners in the form of corn or rice flour, stewed vegetables, and if it is a meat broth cube, boiled and powdered meat. At the end of the composition, yeast, vegetable protein (miso) appears. Therefore, the Bio bouillon cube is definitely better, we are talking about the composition. However, it does affect the price of the product. If you want to avoid overpaying, you can make bouillon cubes at home. How to do it?

Homemade bouillon cube: recipe

If you value the convenience of cooking, but at the same time maintain your health, make such a preparation yourself. It's very simple: make a good, rich broth with the selected type of meat and / or vegetables. Then strain it and pour it into ice cube trays. Sprinkle some dried vegetables and herbs on the bottom. Contrary to the first impression, this is not a burdensome event, and you can store such homemade stocks for broth in the freezer for up to 3 months.

MK-Estonia MK-Estonia

When it's too lazy to cook, semi-finished products come to the rescue. Frozen cutlets, canned soups, cubed broths. But if in the first two cases the chances of getting on a more or less decent product, which really contains meat or real vegetables, are great, then in the case of bouillon cubes everything is complicated, writes “MK-Estonia”.

It's funny to read “no preservatives” on the package of cubes, especially with such “perishable” substances as salt or flavor enhancers. A definite minus for the composition and aroma - they are not. The packaging foil is abundantly saturated with yellow, but the color of the cube raises no objections - it is quite a “bouillon” tone. Therefore, 0.5 points. A plasticine cube is also half a point. The taste of the cube is hammered to death by the salt, which makes the mouth constrict. Minus. The cube dissolved quickly, the broth pleased me with an abundance of greens. But it tastes too salty - half a point.

Knorr Bulionetka Domowa

Price: € 1.49 for 4 cubes (€ 0.37 / cube)

The composition is quite tolerable - score. The aroma is very concentrated, but not bad at all - it smells like a strong broth and I want to believe that the taste will not let you down. One more point. Convenient packaging adds another point. However, the attempt to taste the concentrate failed - salt and only salt. Zero. Some kind of brown color - half a point. The substance does not flow, small crumbs of herbal leaves and pieces of carrots are visible - a point. In boiling water, it dissolves for a very long time with some scraps. The aroma, color and taste of the broth are terrible. Zero.

Optima (Maxima)

Price: € 0.29 for 6 cubes (€ 0.072 / cube)
The composition is so-so - both palm oil and glutamate. Zero in general. The help of glutamate in the formation of the aroma is very noticeable - zero. But the packaging was not saturated with fat and dye, and the cube itself is moderately dry - a point in the piggy bank. The taste of the cube is unpleasant - the salt crunches on the teeth and the presence of sodium glutamate is clearly felt. In this, everyone cannot recognize the flavor of chicken. Zero. The taste and aroma of the finished broth were not impressed - zero.

Gallina blanca

Price: € 0.65 for 8 cubes (€ 0.081 / cube)

The composition immediately passed - for such an abundance of amplifiers, zero points. For some reason, a cube of chicken broth smells like mushrooms - zero. The color is pale yellow, somehow unnatural. It is also strange that the packaging was saturated with a vigorous yellow color on the folds, and not all, as it was with our other experimental samples - also zero. The cube is hard-stone, broke with difficulty, it looks like it will dissolve slowly and sadly in boiling water - zero. The taste is awful - salt and some vague sensation of "something fried" - zero. The dry cube did not completely dissolve, but the taste unexpectedly reminded something of a chicken. 0.5 points.

TOP

Price: € 0.49 for 6 cubes (€ 0.081 / cube)

The roster did not please - zero points. The pale golden color of the cube evokes thoughts of synthetic dyes. But the cube did not paint over the foil - half a point. The taste of a dry cube is quite pleasant - notes of chicken and spices are quite distinguishable behind the salt - point. The aroma is very weak and clearly not bouillon - zero. The taste is glutamate, the broth has no aroma - zero.

Favorit (Maxima)

Price: € 0.35 for 6 cubes (€ 0.058 / cube)

The composition is not bad, although there are suspicions that glutamates, which are so annoying for us, are hidden behind the flavoring and aromatic substances. But since there is not a word about them, we will assume that everything is in order. We put a point. The aroma clearly smells of some kind of fat, and this is clearly not chicken. Zero points. A cube of good color, moderately dry, broke well, but without the feel of plasticine. But the packaging is vigorously colored - half a point. The concentrated cube tastes like hellish amounts of salt and the nasty taste of fat. Zero. Despite the fact that the cube dissolved quickly, this did not save the broth - the wildly salted monosodium glutamate. Zero.

Price: € 0.39 for 6 cubes (€ 0.065 / cube)

The squad immediately gets zero points. But the aroma is pleasant, appetizing, there are no strong extraneous odors - point. The cube has a pleasant color, it broke well, the packaging is not very saturated with dyes - point. The taste of the concentrate is also quite good - before the salt starts to work, the taste of spices and even a light chicken aroma is clearly felt. Score. But the broth is not bad. To the extent of salt, to the extent of spices. Feel free to score.

Maggi Kostilja

Price: € 0.55 for 6 cubes (€ 0.091 / cube)

The composition inspires concern - both in terms of palm oil, and in terms of flavor enhancers, as well as dyes - zero. The taste of the cube is surprising - you can clearly feel fried onions and some kind of fat, from those that are added to instant noodles - zero. The cube has the aroma of fried onions, but without an obvious chemical shade - we put half a point, because onions are not chicken after all. The cube is outwardly of a good color, it broke well, the packaging is not very colored - a point. Broth "navarist" due to salt - there is too much of it. The aroma and taste of the finished broth is doubtful - zero.

By ordinary, in this case, we mean cheap cubes of the most massive production - like Maggi, Knorr and Gallina Blanca.

Salt

Salt is needed so that the broth has a bright, pronounced taste. By the way, therefore, the cube can be used as, in fact, salt, only more aromatic and tasty. Its high content also contributes to the fact that the cube does not deteriorate for a long time: salt is the main preservative. Sea salt, iodized salt, or common table salt can be used.

Sergey Belkov:

“In general, the role of the main preservative in the cube is played by the absence of water: the less there is in the product, the less bacteria multiply. This is also hindered by the high salt content.In addition, it is needed for taste. There is a certain optimum in salt content in different foods. For example, for a sausage it is 2 g per 100 g. The broth also has its optimum. To reproduce it in the product that will be obtained from the cube, you need to drive salt into the cube, and in the appropriate amount. All the salt that should be in a liter of broth must be put in one cube - that's why there is so much of it in terms of dry product».

Enhancers of taste and aroma

As a rule, these are (E621), sodium guanylate (E627) and sodium inosinate (E631). In the taste and aroma of the cube broth, they play a formative role, enhance with minds. All are often used together.

Sergey Belkov:

“An interesting story - these three substances support each other well. A mixture of 95% glutamate and guanylate with inosinate ( 2.5% each ) in terms of taste, umami is three to four times more intense than glutamate alone. Plus the flavors of guanylate and inosinate are slightly different from glutamate, although they are the same umami. This is roughly how glucose differs from fructose, although both are sweet. The result is a more voluminous and brighter taste.».

Corn starch

The starch adds body to the broth, which helps mimic the expected richness and also increases the nutritional value of the broth. In addition, it helps the cube to keep its shape and not to crumble into its component parts, plays the role of a thickener and stabilizer, is a filling, bonding agent. Sometimes wheat flour is used instead of starch.

Sergey Belkov:

“Bouillon cubes usually contain palm oil because it is cheap, affordable, good quality and impersonal. Modern technologies for processing fats make it possible to cleanse them from various flavors that give off-side taste. Such oils do not have the taste of seeds, pork greasiness, and so on: they are just a standard pure fat, while having a taste specific to fat. You can add beef or chicken fat to the cubes - but it is technologically easier to add standardized, impersonal food fat. Moreover, you will buy one beef fat today, another tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow - none at all, while the standards for tropical oils are very strict. The story that palm oil is bad for your health is quite funny. Any fat - palm or butter, sunflower, olive - these are triglycerides of fatty acids. The metabolic scheme is simple, understandable and the same for any oils: getting into the body, fat breaks down into glycerin and fatty acids. The only difference is which fatty acids are produced. "

Sugar

Neutralizes excess acidity and salinity for a balanced taste.

Sergey Belkov:

“I can assume that sugar plays several roles in the cube at once.

Firstly, it can be an extremely functional ingredient and be part of a flavoring agent. There are so-called reaction flavors: the technology for their production is close to what is obtained in the kitchen. What is the taste and aroma of roasted beef? This is the taste and aroma that appears in the process of interaction when the amino acids and sugars found in beef are heated. Such interaction can be carried out not only in the kitchen, but also in the laboratory.- without the participation of beef, simply combining the substances that it contains and heating the mixture. Usually, glucose is not taken for such reactions, but sugar is also possible.

Second, sugar can be used for flavor. In the taste of such a complex product as broth, there is not only salinity and umami, but also sweetness. Even if you try home-brewed chicken or beef broth, you will notice that it tastes sweet.

Third, sugar can be used to make the cube compress better.».

Maltodextrin

It is also molasses, a product of starch hydrolysis. Just like the starch, it helps shape the ingredients into a cube. Improves the solubility of the cube in water, has a sweetish taste.

Sergey Belkov:

“Starch is a polysaccharide with a lot of glucose residues. Maltodextrin is a starch that has been cut into short chains of ten, twenty residues. It is used as either a cheap carrier for a flavoring agent or a cube-holding agent.».

Flavors

All flavors are made up of chemicals. The difference between natural and unnatural is the source of raw materials for these substances. Inexpensive bouillon cubes use synthetic flavors, that is, they are obtained in the laboratory by combining various substances that together form a certain aroma. A flavoring agent that recreates the flavor of meat is made from amino acids, sugar, protein hydrolysates - in general, from the same from which the cubes themselves are made.

Sergey Belkov:

“First of all, it doesn't matter what flavoring is used, natural or not, because the properties of substances do not depend on their origin, but on the structure of the molecules. A substance identical to a natural one does not differ from a natural one from the point of view of influence on health. In addition, at the moment the concept of “flavor identical to natural” does not exist in Russia. There are natural flavors, technological (that is, reactionary), smoking (liquid fumes).

Fragrances are fragrant substances that, when entering the nose, evaporate, and their molecules cause a reaction from the brain. Anything that smells smells from these substances - whether it's natural strawberries or a bouillon cube. If you find out what kind of fragrant substances fried meat smells like, and then mix them separately, you get the same smell of meat, because it will consist of absolutely the same molecules as the natural flavor. Again, it is not the source of the substances that is important, but the formula. About a thousand different compounds contribute to the smell of fried meat, but not all of them contribute significantly. So you can mix only a fraction of them and get almost the same flavor.

Manufacturers do not indicate the composition of flavors on the labels, because, firstly, the listing will take a small book, and secondly, all the same, the names of chemical compounds will not tell anyone anything. The composition of the flavors is disclosed when the manufacturer obtains marketing authorization for its product. In the Russian technical regulation, it is allowed to use about 2,000 compounds in food, all of these substances are safe for health. The same substances are found in real meat, but no one writes the chemical composition of the meat on the label. "

Sugar color dye

A brown dye obtained by thermal decomposition of various sugary substances. It can also be referred to as caramelized or burnt sugar. Gives the cube and broth a yellow or caramel shade.

Dried vegetables and herbs

Iron pyrophosphate

Salt of iron and pyrophosphoric acid, a food additive that slows down oxidative processes and thereby allows you to maintain the property of the cube to turn into an appetizing broth for a long time. It is also a source of iron; this salt is also added to baby food.

Lemon acid

Acidity regulator.

Sergey Belkov:

“Citric acid is needed for taste. It's an interesting thing with taste: everyone knows that if you add a little salt to the chocolate, it will taste better, although it will not be salty. The fact is that when all the taste buds are involved, the taste seems richer and more interesting. Therefore, if we add acids to the broth, it will not become sour from this, but the taste will seem richer.».

Ground spices

Flavoring and aromatic additive from natural spices.

Beef powder

Sergey Belkov:

“This additive does not carry a semantic load, meat powders are added, most likely, in order to show that there is at least some real meat in the cube.».

Plant Protein Extracts

This is what the first Maggi cube consisted of. They are obtained by separating proteins from fats and other components of plant products - soy, wheat, corn, legumes. A source of protein that enhances the nutritional value of the broth, as well as a source of umami flavor.

Sergey Belkov:

“Remember what glutamate is? It is an amino acid found in protein. You cannot make chicken or beef taste without umami, that is, without glutamate. Because there is glutamate in natural chicken and beef, it is found there naturally. Accordingly, in order to add glutamate to the cube, but at the same time not to tell anything about it, hydrolysates of plant or yeast proteins are used. Protein hydrolyzes, breaks down into amino acids, one of which is glutamic, and it gives the umami taste. That is, in fact, the use of protein hydrolysates (aka extracts) is the addition of glutamate to give umami flavor, which cannot be avoided. "

Sea salt, corn starch, vegetables, spices, spices

They serve the same role as in a regular bouillon cube.

Shea butter

Shea tree seed oil, it is shea, it is amazing vitellaria. A source of fat, gives the broth richness, and also glues the ingredients of the cube together. The oil enters the cube in its natural, liquid state, so the cubes with it are much more greasy to the touch than normal. And viscous: it does not crumble, but breaks.

Cane sugar

Gives the broth a caramel flavor and also helps balance the flavor. Marketers spend a lot of effort to convince consumers that this sugar is much healthier than regular white sugar. So it is not surprising that it is he who is contained in ecobiocubes.

Ground chicken

Real meat, heavily minced. A source of protein, taste and aroma. The content of this ingredient can be up to 5%.

Yeast extract

Taste enhancer. It is a water-soluble fraction of free peptides and amino acids, the result of the degradation of yeast (usually baker's or brewer's) by enzymes or heat. Has a distinct umami flavor - due to the fact that it is 12% glutamic acid. In other words, it is analogous to the added monosodium glutamate and protein extracts used in regular cubes.

Chicken fat

Another source of fat with a distinct chicken flavor.

Natural flavors

Natural flavors differ from unnatural only in raw materials. That is, for natural flavors, raw materials are used exclusively of natural origin - both animal and vegetable. They can be extracted from food in a wide variety of ways (pressing, extraction, distillation, frying, fermentation). In this case, it is absolutely not necessary that the flavoring will be made exactly from the product, the smell of which is present in the flavoring.

Nestlé Russia has launched an updated product - MAGGI bouillon cube enriched with iron. Now, each serving of a dish prepared with cubes of GOLDEN Chicken, Beef ON THE BONE, broth with FOREST MUSHROOMS and Stewed chicken - in addition to iodized salt, contains at least 15% of the recommended daily human need for iron.

Enriched with iron, the MAGGI cube will become a useful assistant for every modern housewife. The importance of iron for the body can hardly be overestimated - it is part of hemoglobin, a vital molecule responsible for delivering oxygen to the blood and removing carbon dioxide. That is why it is necessary to monitor the balance of iron in the daily diet.

MAGGI broth cubes, enriched with iron, are indispensable in the preparation of various dishes, because each broth recipe harmoniously combines meat and vegetable tastes, salt and a carefully selected bouquet of spices and spices. MAGGI cubes not only add rich taste and aroma, but make the dish more balanced. So, the broth, cooked from a MAGGI cube in a volume of 500 ml, which can be divided into two, contains 30% of the daily requirement for iron trace elements.

It is important that MAGGI cubes are produced without the addition of artificial preservatives and colors, and contain iodized salt. With MAGGY, homemade dinner becomes not only delicious, but also more useful.

Sofia Bryantseva, nutritionist: “All year round, especially in winter, it is important to provide not only tasty and varied, but also balanced meals. Therefore, it is important to enrich the diet with foods high in vitamins and minerals. One of the main trace elements for the human body is iron. Its importance was already known to the ancient Greeks. On average, our body contains 3-5 g of iron and almost all of it is part of hemoglobin, a complex molecule responsible for the delivery of oxygen by the blood and the removal of carbon dioxide. Sometimes we notice fatigue, weakness, increased fatigue, especially in winter. However, these symptoms may not just be the result of a lack of warmth and sun, but also a signal of iron deficiency. The World Health Organization ranks iron deficiency as the number one eating disorder in the world. Up to 80% of people in the world can get less iron in their diet! ".

It is important to remember that replenishing iron deficiency in the body is a complex task. However, one of the first steps available to everyone is nutritional correction - enrichment of the diet with iron.

Irina Slutskaya , Ambassador of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, Russian figure skater, Olympic medalist, two-time world champion and the first-ever seven-time European figure skating champion, the world's only single figure skater, four-time winner of the World Series of Figure Skating Grand Prix and mother of two children :“As a modern woman, as a mother, as a professional athlete, I know how important it is to eat properly, of high quality and in a balanced manner. What we eat affects how we feel and look. Proper nutrition is the key to good health, energy, good mood, and, therefore, high achievements, both in sports and career, and in family life. As a mother, I understand the importance of a balanced diet, therefore, despite my busy schedule, I often cook for my family myself. It is very difficult for a modern woman to do everything, so it's good that we have such “golden” culinary assistants! "

Every hostess deserves a reward for her achievements. With the "MAGGI Golden Cube" it has become easier to take care of the balanced nutrition of loved ones!

Brand info

MAGGI is the leader of the Russian market of culinary products with a market share of over 42% * in monetary terms. The MAGGI brand enjoys the well-deserved love and trust of Russian consumers, which allowed it to become a multiple winner of the prestigious national awards "People's Brand" and "Product of the Year". MAGGI products are made only from high quality ingredients, which mainly include salt, pepper, dried vegetables, herbs and spices. Every day MAGGI inspires new ideas and invites your whole family on an exciting culinary adventure! Learn more about how to eat tasty and healthy at MAGGI's Kitchen of Ideas on the Odnoklassniki social network and in the Nestlé Healthy Choice group on the Odnoklassniki and VKontakte social networks.

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RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS

Rice for making risotto - 1.5 cups
Butter - 150 g
Grated Parmesan - 50 g
Bulb onion - 1 pc.
Dried mushrooms - 50 g
Olive oil - 4 tablespoons spoons
Parsley - 1/4 bunch
Garlic - 4 cloves

Cooking method:

Prepare 1 liter of MAGGI® GOLDEN CHICKEN BROWN.

Dried mushrooms for 30 min. pour 250 ml of hot water, then cut them into large pieces (save the water!).

Cut fresh mushrooms into 4 pieces and fry in a pan in heated olive oil (3 tablespoons) for 3 minutes.

Chop the garlic, add half to the mushrooms and continue to fry until cooked for 10 minutes, until the liquid evaporates.

In another skillet, heat 100 g butter and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of olive oil. Fry the finely chopped onion and the other half of the minced garlic for 3 minutes. Add the soaked mushrooms (without water) and fry for 2 minutes.

Add rice to the pan and stir. Gradually, in portions, pour in the hot broth, stirring constantly and waiting for the rice to absorb each portion of the broth. Then add the liquid in which the dry mushrooms have been soaked in order to enhance the mushroom smell of the risotto.

Cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Once the rice is done, add the sautéed mushrooms, leftover butter, grated cheese, and finely chopped parsley. Mix everything and serve.

CHICKEN RAGU WITH VEGETABLES

MAGGI® GOLDEN CHICKEN BROLLION - 2 cubes

Chicken thighs - 500 g
Zucchini - 1 pc.
Water - 250 ml
Red bell pepper - 1 pc.
Yellow bell pepper - 1 pc.
Olives - 100 g
Bulb onion - 1 pc.
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. spoons
Garlic - 2 cloves

Cooking method:

Separate the chicken thighs from the bone, cut into small pieces and fry on both sides in heated vegetable oil in a deep saucepan for 5 minutes.

Peel the onion and garlic, cut the onion into cubes, chop the garlic. Add to the chicken saucepan and fry for 3 minutes. Then add the diced peppers and fry for 5 minutes.

Cut the zucchini into large cubes, add to a saucepan and fry for 5 minutes.

Then pour in water, add the cubes of MAGGI® GOLDEN CHICKEN BROLLION. Bring to a boil, add olives and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

MAGGI® GOLDEN CHICKEN BROLLION - 2 cubes
Canned White Beans - 800g
Water - 500 ml
Rye bread - 4 slices
Cream 20% - 100 ml
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons spoons
Oregano - 1 tbsp spoon
Garlic - 2 cloves
Ground pepper - 1/4 tsp
Total cooking time: 40 min.

Cooking method:

In a large saucepan with 1 tbsp. fry the chopped garlic with a spoonful of heated olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add the beans and liquid, the cubes of MAGGI® GOLDEN CHICKEN BROLLION and water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Then pour in the cream, add oregano and black pepper, heat for another 2 minutes. Grind the entire contents of the pan with a blender until smooth.

Cut the rye bread into small cubes, mix with the remaining olive oil and place in preheated
up to 200 ° C oven for 10 min.

Serve the soup with croutons.

FISH IN NUT-LEMON SAUCE

Main course ingredients:

Pike perch fillet - 800 g
Peeled young potatoes - 600 g
Wheat flour - 5 tbsp. spoons
Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. spoons
Salt - 1/2 tsp. Spoons

Method of preparing the main course:

Boil peeled young potatoes in salted water until tender. Cut the pike perch fillet in half, roll in flour mixed with salt.

Fry the fish fillets in a pan with heated vegetable oil, for 5 minutes. from each side. Put the fish on a dish.

Fry chopped garlic and nuts in a saucepan with melted butter for 1-2 minutes. Add either pepper and flour, stirring continuously, fry for 1 min.

Pour in lemon juice, water and add MAGGI® GOLDEN CHICKEN BROLLION. Stir, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add chopped parsley. Serve the fish with potatoes and sauce.

Sauce Ingredients:

MAGGI® GOLDEN CHICKEN BROLLION - 1 cube
Butter - 150 g
Eggs - 3 pcs.
Dill - 1 tbsp. spoon
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Spoon

Total cooking time for the sauce: 20 min.

Sauce preparation method:

Boil the eggs, peel and cut into small cubes.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add MAGGI® GOLDEN CHICKEN BROLLION, stir. Add eggs.

Add chopped dill and lemon juice to the finished mixture, mix.

Advertisements for bouillon cubes and other dry seasonings are becoming very respectable. These bachelor products are presented in commercials as the secret basis of family recipes and even as a family property. And a renowned gourmet specialist cooks with one of these spices, telling us that it is the best invention in the history of culinary.

Slimy theme

He demonstrates something jelly-like, explaining that it was made through long languor. A quick glance at the composition leaves no doubt that this is just a slime-like "cube" - there are no fundamental differences between the seasonings. Don't believe me? We read the composition: "Water, salt, flavor enhancers (glutamate, inosinate, sodium guanylate), chicken fat, flavors: chicken and onion, identical to natural ..." I think we can not continue further. Only a madman can believe that all this chemistry is a great culinary achievement. In short, all this advertising is pure magic of reprogramming our consciousness. Let's not succumb to its influence and look deep into the times to understand that these tricks are as old as the cubes.

It is usually claimed that they were invented in the early 1880s by the genius Swiss Julius Maggi, who wanted to give the poor wholesome food. This is a beautiful legend, but the truth about the invention of the "Golden Maggi Cube", as he called his invention, is still hidden. In fact, he rather deprived them of their normal food, giving them his magic cube in return.

By that time, another product had already been invented for them, and clearly more complete. In the 1840s, the famous German chemist Justus Liebig obtained a meat extract when he boiled (or tormented, as they say in advertisements today) beef broth. In the 1860s, it began to be produced in Uruguay, where meat was in abundance. In the absence of refrigerators, Liebig's Meat Extract (as the first instant soup was called) was conveniently stored and transported around the world. With meat, these journeys from Uruguay were impossible. But the extract tasted inferior to the fresh broth: the fats, when languishing, turned rancid and gave an unpleasant aftertaste to the broth. And it was expensive: for 1 kg of extract, 30 kg of meat was needed to lime.

The penny hydrolyzate of vegetable proteins, which Julius Maggi stamped in the form of a cube, turned out to be devoid of this drawback. From what plants he made his soup, a mystery, but most likely from soy. Mr. Maggi was in contact with Professor Alexander Langaard, who taught for a long time in Tokyo. It is known that from there he was the first to bring soybeans and sauce from it to Switzerland. If this seasoning is evaporated to a powder, then you get just the basis of a modern bouillon cube. Fat and starch are added to it, and in homeopathic doses also meat, poultry, vegetables, spices and so on (homeopathy here must be understood literally - their number is negligible).

Only the dice sauce is not made for months or years, slowly fermenting soy proteins to amino acids - one called glutamate, and gives the flavor to this seasoning. Western food scientists figured out how to quickly break down proteins with hydrochloric acid, compressing time to several hours. This process is called hydrolysis, and the resulting amino acid mixture is a vegetable protein hydrolyzate. It was from the hydrolyzate that Julius Maggi created his "maggia". Competitive cubes soon appeared: Knorr, Galina Blanca, etc.

Chemistry in Russia

The product was already well known in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. My friend's grandmother Glafira Nikolaevna Zykova told me shortly before her death at the age of 99: “We lived in a big, big apartment on the Arbat, and a floor polisher came once every two weeks. Because of this, the servants did not have time to prepare dinner, and my mother and I and Mademoiselle dined in the kitchen hastily - with broth from cubes and pies from Filippov. For us children, it was like a forbidden fruit. On the other days, a full meal was prepared, and we ate only in the dining room. "

Despite the powerful advertising of various cubes, they were bought a little in Russia - they did not trust the chemical "gut". But after the revolution and famine, there were specialists who began to write "scientific" articles that the use of hydrochloric acid in their production is not dangerous.

Now this topic is not actively discussed in our country, although in such hydrolysates and soy sauces, the carcinogen chloropropanol, a by-product of acid hydrolysis, is often found.

Ironically, these cubes also turned out to be made in China: soy sauce came to Europe from Japan, but from China to the Land of the Rising Sun. There it was made long before the birth of Christ - in the 5th-6th century BC. NS. And they came to Japan after about 1,000 years. And then to us.