Bread from the dawn of history
The history of bread as a food staple has ancient beginnings. Bread making began with the dawn of human culture. Some date it back as far as 10,000 years ago and placed it in the Mediterranean Region. The preparation of bread is acknowledged by scholars to be about the same time as the beginning of farming, when the development of crafts such as pottery and weaving, and the making of polished stone tools began.
Bread was considered the staff of life, long before the introduction of metalworking, writing, or other developments of urban civilization. Over the millennia, the taste of bread changed with the availability of ingredients, influences in local customs and culture, economic and climatic conditions, as well as methods of preparation. It is documented the earliest breads were unleavened. Numerous kinds of bread were noted because of variations in grain, thickness, shape, texture, and taste which varied from region to region and culture to culture. Biblical documentation references bread as an important food stuff and also as significant spiritual offerings.
In many countries flat bread or bread cakes, of both leavened and unleavened bread, are still prepared today just as they were made of old, especially at times of religious celebrations and observances. These bread loaves or cakes are often coated on the upper surface with olive oil and take on a glossy brown color when cooked; and sometimes they are sprinkled over with aromatic seeds and spices, which adhere to the bread loaves and impart a spicy flavor.
bread history
Technorati Tags: bread history
