gelatin

[miss blondie]

What exactly is gelatin? Is it the same as glycerin? Is there such a thing as vegetarian gelatin?

[eddiebun]

Basically its boiled skin and bones

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin

skip to the end of the article for veggie gelling alternatives

[demitry-hed]

hmmmmmmmmmm, gelatin is the name americans give to what the english call jelly. sometimes anyway!

[eddiebun]

And strangely, what the Americans call Jelly or Jello, we call Jam !

[deetee100]

I think arrowroot is the stuff I used as a substitute for gelatine.

[fairkatrina]

You'll all turn veggie after reading this (and I promise it's not an urban myth, my friend used to work in the gelatine plant when this happened and saw the reports for himself).

Basically loads of shipments of animal bones etc arrive every day, and every so often an inspection is carried out to ensure that no human remains make their way into your diet, and they do this by removing a sample from a few of the shipments. Human remains were found in two of the samples, but rather than testing all the other shipments and destroying those found to be contaminated, they simply destroyed the two that had human bits in them. God knows what was left in the rest!

Jelly anyone???

[miss blondie]

But where are the bones coming from? How on earth did human bones get mixed in?!

[fairkatrina]

Not a clue!

[eddiebun]

My girlfriend is a veggie and I have to scour the contents list of everything I buy.

I believe everything you say fairkatrina.

Gelatin seems to be in the most unlikely products. I think vegetarians definitely not only have the moral highground, but are also protecting themselves from the fallout of human greed in the food processing chain .

Remember BSE ???:

The more you hear about meat and all animal processing the more scary it sounds. Obviously the latest is the low standard of safety in chicken and turkey processing, importing, exporting etc. I do think one day I will take the plunge and become veggie !

[burkeas]

I'm American. There ISN'T ANY HUMAN SKIN OR BONES! Gelatin is stuff sort-of like jelly, yet it keeps its shape when poured out of a container. Jello is a brand of gelatin in the US. Vegetarian gelatin is when there's no sugar added and there's a vegetable floating in the middle. Many children across the US like Jello as a snack. Jello is sugar-filled.

[burkeas]

Wow! English are really bad with American words. Jelly and Jello aren't hte same.

[miss blondie]

Anyone else care to set this idiot straight?

[BoroughGal]

Me, me!

Burkeas, I suggest you read the link that someone posted at the beginning of this thread.

Gelatine may look exactly how you described when it's been packaged, etc, but I think you need to know how it's made....

I'll post the link again for you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin

[chinois]

I dont understand the american, can someone translate? Not sure if he's trying his hand at a joke or if he's just exceptionally bad with words....?

[burkeas]

Umm... this method isn't being used in the US. I gave you an American's perspective. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin_dessert#P roduction

[Butty]

Burkeas,

One of your most popular brands of Gelatine is Jell-O
and this is how it is prepared - including animal by products!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jell-O

[robin dearde]

Anyone want a jelly baby?

[jimmonas]

gelatin is the melted down sinuids of animals and is put into just about every product so most veggies don't know there eating animal products

[rabbitdrop]

gelatin is definately not the same as vegetarian gelatin, as normal gelatin comes from boiled up pigs feet and fish bones

[Skreecheeboy]

I've eaten bone marrow before in a West Indian stew. It wasn't particularly tasty but it is very very good for you.

[burkeas]

Excuse me, rabbit drop; I think you'd best read this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin_dessert#P roduction