So I suppose that means I am not an ordinary human.
All kidding aside, Pollan’s food philosophy is very much like mine – he advocates eating organic whole foods whenever possible. So I decided to take a closer look at xanthan gum to see what the fuss is about. We all know that xanthan gum has thickening and binding properties, and that just a little bit (¼ tsp to ¾ tsp) is needed to replace the gluten in baked goods.
But what is xanthan gum really?
According to Wise Geek it’s a polysaccharide (a chain of three different forms of sugar) created by combining Xanthomonas campestris bacteria with corn sugar. That sounds kind of yucky, so let’s look closer. It’s a carbohydrate. It’s made from all natural (occurring in nature) ingredients, and it’s similar to more familiar polysaccharides including corn syrup. Are you distressed that xantham gum is made from bacteria? Consider that yogurt is made from combining bacteria with milk. Similarly, adding lactic acid bacteria to milk makes buttermilk. They are all fermentation processes.
Is xanthan gum a whole food? No. Xanthan gum is a created food.
Is it bad for us?
My verdict is no. Those with corn allergies may need to avoid xanthan gum, but for all others who need to eat wheat-free or gluten-free, I think xanthan gum is a fabulous breakthrough that we should feel comfortable using in small quantities.
I hope to learn more at a gluten-free baking class I'll be taking on April 10th at the Culinary Institute of America. I can't wait to come back and tell you what I've learned!
What do you think? Do you use xanthan gum?