By Vaishali Aggarwal

Charcoal is the lightweight black carbon and ash residue hydrocarbon produced by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis — the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen (see char and biochar). The advantage of using charcoal instead of just burning wood is the removal of the water and other components, which allows charcoal to burn to a higher temperature, and the fact that the product of its combustion is mainly carbon dioxide, resulting in very little smoke (regular wood gives off a good amount of steam and unburnt carbon particles – soot – in its smoke).

Charcoal is used in food to colour it black and for its supposed health benefits, which however are not proven. Activated charcoal is used as a food ingredient. This is typically made from bamboo or coconut shell. It gives food an earthy, smoky taste and the black colouring gives the food an exotic, fashionable appearance. Health benefits have been claimed for charcoal back to classical times, when Hippocrates and Pliny recommended it for conditions such as anthrax and vertigo. Activated charcoal adsorbs chemicals and so may bind to both toxins and vital nutrients such as vitamins. Its effects are therefore broad and indiscriminate.

Watch this video where people are celebrating Charcoal Food Festival: