Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

This is another miracle of nature. Most baking soda is made from trona ore, mined from natural deposits throughout the world, but predominantly found in Wyoming. Trona was discovered in the mid 1840s. Then, as now, it was used by many households for scouring, cleaning and deodorising. It is best known for its uses in cooking, becoming a raising agent when it is mixed with cream of tartar.