the.com/thickener
The reason soup feels like a hug instead of a beverage.
means A substance added to a liquid to make it denser and more viscous, like flour, cornstarch, or gelatin.
from Straightforward carpentry of English: the adjective 'thick' (from Old English 'þicce,' meaning dense or solid) plus the verb-making suffix '-en' (seen in 'soften,' 'harden,' 'sharpen') plus the agent suffix '-er' for the thing that does the job. No hidden backstory here — it's a word built exactly the way it sounds, by people who needed a plain label for the stuff that turns broth into gravy.
- origin
- often cornstarch, flour, or ground seaweed extract
- science
- swells starch granules to trap water molecules
- industry secret
- xanthan gum comes from fermented bacteria slime
- fun fact
- too much turns gravy into wallpaper paste