He rapeseed oil It is the third most consumed food oil in the world, behind palm oil and soybean oil. Without us hardly realizing it, it is present in numerous processed foods that we buy in the supermarket, such as galletas or frozen pizzas. The strangest thing is that before conquering supermarket shelves, rapeseed was an oil that was used until quite recently as lengine lubricant.
Rapeseed began to be cultivated in Europe in the 13th century, as food for livestock and later to obtain its oil. This was then used as fuel for lamps. In the first half of the 20th century, Canada it was him largest producer of rapeseed oil and was used as a lubricant in the engines of Allied ships and aircraft in World War II. At the end of the war, a huge oil production had to be released.
From lubricant for war machines to frozen pizza
Rapeseed oil for human consumption was born in a state laboratory in Canada. Its English name, canola, is a nod to its origins. It literally means “Canadian oil low acid”, or Canadian oil with low acid content, they remember from National Post.
Rapeseed oil is obtained like any other edible oil, by crushing the tiny seeds of a plant to extract all the fat stored inside. Sesame or sunflower oil is obtained in the same way. Even our precious olive oil, which we undersell to Italy to resell later at a gold price, is made in the same way. Pressing the olives releases their oil.
However, while these oils have been consumed for thousands of years, rapeseed oil has only been consumed since the 1970s. Until then, its consumption was not possible due to two elements present in its composition, erucic acidand the glucosinolato.
The first, in addition to giving it a bad taste, is harmful and is currently considered a contaminant. The second is what makes mustard or radishes, for example, spicy.
At the end of the Second World War, Canada wanted to give a new outlet to its enormous rapeseed oil production. Canadian authorities then wanted to find a way to keep farmers busy growing rapeseed across the country and selling tons of the product.
Two decades later, Richard Downey y Baldur Steffanssonfrom the Ministry of Agriculture and the University of Manitobamanaged to create a rapeseed seed that, once pressed, releases an oil free of erucic acid and glucosinolate. And, above all, a very easy and cheap oil to produce. It began to be marketed in 1978 and since then it has conquered the world thanks to its low price, costing a third of what olive oil costs, and the fact that it is flavorless, so it can be used in numerous processed products.
Obviously, the fact that rapeseed oil was originally an industrial oil is still, today, like a bad joke in Spain. We cannot forget the mass poisoning of hundreds of people in 1981 when some heartless people sold industrial rapeseed oil mixed with a little olive oil as if it were real olive oil. Since then, rapeseed oil has enjoyed a very bad reputation in our country.
And although rapeseed oil is currently is considered healthyhaving olive oil, why would we want rapeseed oil. Well, yes, for the bike chain if there is nothing else at hand.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
