Bread : A Global History

Description

Bread has been one of the principal forms of food for man from earliest times. Loaves and rolls have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs and wheat has been found in pits where human settlements flourished 8,000 years ago. Bread, both leavened and unleavened, is mentioned in the Bible many times. Bread was a staple food for the ancient Greeks and Romans well before people argued whether white or brown bread was best. The ability to sow and reap cereals could be one of the main reasons why man settled in communities, rather than led a wandering life hunting for food. "Bread" is an innovative mix of traditional history, cultural history, travelogue and cookbook. William Rubel begins with the probable invention of bread in the Fertile Crescent approximately 20,000 years ago and ends by speculating on the ways in which cultural forces and advances in biotechnology may influence the development of bread in the 21st century. Rubel shows how simple preferences, such as that for 'light and white' may be responsible for the widespread preference for wheat over other bread grains, and for the millennial-old association of elite dining with white bread. He provides an analysis of the different components of bread such as crust and crumb to enable readers to better understand the breads they buy. With many recipes integrated with the text and a 100-bread glossary, "Bread" is an innovative and global history that makes us look at bread in new ways. The book is written for general readers, baking enthusiasts and for culinary historians. It offers the general reader an approachable introduction to the history of bread and to the many forms that bread takes throughout the world. It offers bread bakers a solid history of the craft and a way of thinking about bread that inspires experimentation in search of new forms.

Author description

William Rubel is a Postgraduate Researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has been making bread since he was eleven years old and for the last ten years he has been studying the history of bread. He is the author of several books including The Magic of Fire: One Hundred Recipes for the Fireplace or Campfire (2002).