Coffee Substitutes and Adulterations
Before U.S. Food Inspections became law, it was “buyer beware.” It was important to find a grocer or food supplier you trusted. But it was also necessary to know how to tell if your food was adulterated. Some foods had extra ingredients or fillers that were harmless, but not always; some were dangerous to ingest. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS COFFEE SUBSTITUTES AND ADULTERATIONSGround coffee is extensively adulterated, and mainly with the much cheaper. Rye, beans, peas, acorns, carrots,…