BORDEN’S SUCCESS
In the 1820s, Gail Borden, Jr. was a journalist in the Texas territory who coined the phrase, “Remember the Alamo.” But his real ambition was to invent a way to condense food so that it would stay edible for a long time. Said Borden: “I mean to put a potato into a pillbox, a pumpkin into a tablespoon and a watermelon into a saucer.” At every opportunity, he would experiment on guests, serving concentrated soups and foods. For the 1850 California Gold Rush, Borden invented the dehydrated meat biscuit; however, it was a boat trip home from England that sparked “The Idea”, an idea born out of tragedy. On board ship, Borden saw children die as a result of drinking contaminated milk. He vowed to dedicate his life to finding a way to make milk safe for human consumption. Through his experiments with meat biscuits, Borden knew food could be kept fresh over long periods of time if moisture was reduced.…
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