Rum

Abstract The chapter shows that modern rum production has its roots in nineteenth-century organic chemistry and engineering. Whilst the distillates were produced in tropical locations, the actual modification and blending of the final product happened to a large extent in European and American metropoles. Most consumers drank artificial imitations and blended or adulterated mixtures of non-colonial origins. The complexity of rum presented major challenges to the food industry in terms of standardization and consumer protection. German and Austrian scientists developed laboratory-based methods of breaking down the substance of rum. The significance of rum thus goes beyond its role as a commodity. The chapter argues that rum research had a significant impact on food science more generally, pushing explorations into the chemical properties of taste and the composition of food.