White vs. Wheat: The Food Fight of the Centuries

White or whole wheat: while today the question is most frequently
asked at the sandwich counter, the debate over the correct answer
goes back literally thousands of years. In the past century,
though, as white flour and thus white bread became more accessible,
the debate became increasingly heated: "Science finds that white
bread develops criminals,” reported newspapers in the 1920s, while
anti-white bread activists at the time claimed that eating too many
slices would causing blindness and facial deformity. But
whole-wheat bashers had their retorts ready: "Whiteness and purity
go hand in hand," proclaimed health writer Dr. Woods Hutchinson.
"The whitest possible of white bread" is "not only much more
appetizing, but ... more nutritious and more wholesome than any
black, brown or brindled staff of life." White vs. wholewheat: this
episode, we dive into the world's longest-running, highest-stakes
food fight. Along the way: the invention of sliced bread, the
science behind Wonder Bread's curious bounce, and a light dusting
of eugenics. Listen in now as Aaron Bobrow-Strain, author of White
Bread: A Social History of the Store-bought Loaf, unpacks the
anxieties and values underlying the bread wars, while wheat breeder
Steve Jones introduces us to the "approachable" loaf that he hopes
will win the battle for once and for all. Learn more about your ad
choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices