Potassium carbonate

But fermentation takes time, and early American cooks were about to discover a faster solution.

In the late 1700s, American kitchens began using a substance called pearl ash.

Erica, do you have any idea what pearl ash is? I mean, ash makes

me think of something like charcoal-y from the fire, but I really have no idea.

Well, you are absolutely more than halfway there.

Yeah.

Pearl ash was a purified form of potassium carbonate derived from wood ash, literal ash.

When mixed with acidic ingredients in batter, it produced carbon dioxide gas, creating bubbles and lightning-baked goods.