What is baking soda? Is it the one we use for cooking okra or for baking cakes? Help me please.” Wrote Queen Agatha Mwale in reference to my previous article ‘The Wonders of Baking Soda and Vinegar: How to Clean Your Oven Naturally’.
I have responded to Agatha personally but I feel this is a confusion that gets to people quite often, where they are not able to distinguish between baking soda and baking powder.
To understand Agatha’s question, I had to do some research on Okra and its common recipes. I did not know about Okra until now because it is not a common fruit in Kenya. Yes, okra is a fruit, though it is eaten as a vegetable.
I have also learnt that okra is the seed pod of the Abelmoschus esculentus plant. It's filled with tiny white seeds and interestingly, it is sometimes called lady's fingers due to its long, slender, tubelike shape.
Pardon the pun, but imagine ordering some lady’s fingers in a hotel to go with your ugaliand the waiter asks, “Sir, do you want them fried, grilled or pan-roasted?
This particular fruit has its origin in Ethiopia but has since spread to other parts of the world. It grows best in hot and humid climates. Some of the leading growers include India, Nigeria, Sudan, Pakistan, Ghana, Egypt, Benin, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Cameroon—it's also grown in Florida and other southeastern states.
According to various recipe sites, okra is essential in Southern, Caribbean, and Indian cuisines in gumbo and stews, and it's one of those foods that people either love or hate. I have found out that some Derere (Okra) recipes have baking soda as an ingredient.
That is why my conclusion from Agatha’s question was that she was talking of baking soda and not baking powder, which she uses to cook okra.
That said, allow me to explain the difference between baking soda and baking powder.
Photo: www.healthline.com
Baking soda, chemically known as sodium bicarbonate, is a baking ingredient that's activated by a liquid and an acid to help with leavening, or rising.
On the other hand, baking powder is a complete leavening agent, meaning it contains both the base (sodium bicarbonate or basically baking soda) and the acid needed for the product to rise.
Thank you for this distinction between the two types of soda, and information on where they are useful. Oh! You are or were not a science student, you should have given us the chemical formulas for the two compounds...lol!