Dear ladies, gentlemen and children, nowadays you can easily find bread anywhere you go, savoury or sweet or even in different shapes, it is an aliment that fits everyone’s tastes. Where the bread originates from? Do you want to know about some interesting stories and table manners about bread? Let’s discover together!
Egypt
It is often being said that Egyptians invented bread in 3000 BC. We suppose that bread was created by accident, by mixing crushed or ground grains with water from the Nile, very rich in silt containing fermentation agents. Egyptians somehow put the fermented mixture in the oven then made the first bread in the world.
Egyptian baker making his bread
Let’s review some bread etiquette rules
The bread plate should be on the top left side of the main plate.
The proper cutlery for serving bread is a serrated bread knife. With sharp serrations, this knife cut the bread neatly while preserving its airiness.
You use a butter knife, like this one on the left, to cut off small butter cubes. You can also spread the butter with this knife.
Bread shouldn’t be cut with a knife but we use our hands to tear small pieces but always one at a time.
Use two fingers to break soft bread or breadsticks. For greasy bread like croutons, use a spoon especially when they are served over a soup.
You should avoid tearing pieces of bread with your teeth!
Having the fork in the left hand and a piece of bread in the right hand to push the food is a French method, but seen as very «middle-class», to avoid when you are invited or during formal meals, but you can keep with your close family.
In formal occasions, if the bread is served with olive oil or vinegar, each person should have his/her own plate for dipping.
Last but not least, we don’t use the bread to make sandwiches: we don’t stuff it with butter
or food, but we put a knob of butter and spread if wanted.
Click here to check out more about bread manners
Fun facts about bread
One ancient Egyptian way of baking the bread dough was to use a clay oven elevated with legs.
Portable oven (ἰπνός /ipnos) from 17th c. BC
It is believed that bread should always be in an upright position otherwise it will bring the Devil in the house.
One of the versions stating the origin of French baguette to the time of Napoleon. During the battles, bakers changed the traditional round shape to a longer shape so soldiers could carry them easily in a back pocket of their outfit.
The bread is so hard when dried out. In mediaeval, people use dry bread as plates or even containers for soup.
The caramel colour and aroma of bread are products of the maillard reaction: sugar reacts with an amino acid under high temperature.
The same reaction happens in a barbecue which makes meat mouth-watering.
Germany is the country having the most varied bread in the world, with more than 300 basic types and more than 1000 types of bread rolls and pastries.
Dear all, which type of bread is your favourite? Mine is of course：french baguette. Please share with me in the comments!
