Bread
COVID-19 has meant that many households resorted to baking their own bread judging by the shortage of flour and yeast everywhere. Here is a story about bread around the world:
COVID-19 has meant that many households resorted to baking their own bread judging by the shortage of flour and yeast everywhere. Here is a story about bread around the world:
Sure, you know Germany has pretzels and France has baguettes, but do you know how these carby delights came to be?
- Chris Ciolli
Swiss zopf, a braided bread. Photo by Mandred Scheilbelauer via Wikimedia Commons.
Good
bread is pretty much a given around Europe. In small villages and large
metropolises alike, bakeries continue to be fairly commonplace and lots
of folks still eat bread on a daily basis. From France’s long, crusty
loaves to Northern Europe’s dense, dark rye, local, high-quality breads
are on offer everywhere on the continent. But what should you sample
where and why? Here are 10 typical European breads to try and the local
legends that explain their origins.
1. Zopf (pictured above)
Switzerland
Switzerland
Intricately braided, this slightly
sweet bread made from white flour, milk, eggs, butter, and yeast is a
favorite among locals for Sunday morning breakfast. But legend links the
loaf to the evolution of a different sort of mourning. In this part of
the world, women went from being buried with their husbands in ancient
times to cutting off a braid of their hair to throw on the grave, to
later still, baking a loaf of bread to be buried as a substitute.
Whether or not that particular legend is to be believed, the bread
itself has been around since at least 1430 and is still popular as a
token of love, appreciation, or thanks.
Cottage loaf. Photo by Eljay/Flickr.
2. Cottage loaf
England
England
To create this oddly shaped bread—which doesn’t look much like a house
or cottage—bakers mash two round balls of dough together. Theories
abound, but most bakers agree it was probably a space-saving effort in
old-fashioned bread ovens, even though the bread didn’t appear by name
in writing until the mid 19th century. Because of the difficulty of
making it (and perhaps selling it, as it’s not exactly a shape that
lends itself to slicing for sandwiches), the bread isn’t as easy to spot
in bakeries as it once was.
Ruisreikäleipä, or Finnish hole bread. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
3. Ruisreikäleipä
Finland
Finland
This mildly bitter rye and oat loaf has a small hole in the middle that
might catch you by surprise. But there’s a practical purpose behind its
shape. After the dough rises the first time, the hole is punched through
so the baked loaves can be threaded onto long poles hung across the
kitchen ceiling to air dry and keep the bread safe from pests and dry
during the long, cold winter.
Tiger bread. Photo by Sprogz/Flickr.
4. Tijgerbrood
The Netherlands
The Netherlands
Sold commercially in the Netherlands since the 1970s, Dutch “tiger
bread” is speculated to have its roots in the beginning of the country’s
trade with Southeast Asia. Sold as “Dutch crunch” in some areas of the
United States, more recently the bread was rebaptized “giraffe bread” in
the United Kingdom after a little girl complained to large supermarket
chain Sainsbury’s that the splotchy crust looked more like a giraffe’s
coat than a tiger’s. A soft white bread with a cracked crunchy crust
made from a coating of sesame oil and rice flour on top, it makes a
tasty breakfast.
Pan gallego. Photo by Tamorlan via Wikimedia Commons.
5. Pan gallego
Spain
Spain
This bread was first baked in the Spanish region of Galicia. Legend has
it that it was one of the foodstuffs locals gave to pilgrims traveling
St. James’s Way to keep them from going hungry on the long journey to
Santiago de Compostela. It’s an ideal choice for people on a long trip.
The 500-year-old recipe for Galician bread produces loaves that stay
fresh for up to a month because of their slow fermentation and lower
salt content.
Pretzels. Photo from Pixabay.
6. Pretzels
Germany
Germany
The original pretzel, called brezel with a “b” in German, is
thought to have been invented by monks in the Middle Ages, possibly as a
prize for children for learning their prayers. But the German story is a
juicier tale of imprisoned bakers who came up with the unconventional
shape before they were set free. And perhaps that’s why the twisty strip
of lye-treated dough has been the bakers’ emblem since the 12th century
in southern Germany. It certainly didn’t hurt that they were made with
bread and water (no eggs or dairy) and so were an acceptable snack
during Lent. And come Easter Sunday, the salty bread was even hidden
like Easter eggs for children to find.
Hverabrauð. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
7. Hverabrauð
Iceland
Iceland
A rye loaf cooked for 24 hours in the steam from a geyser, a bread called hverabrauð or rúgbrauð
is virtually crustless and moist with a very dense, dark crumb. While
many locals opt for baking their rye bread in an oven these days, before
the advent of ovens and cooktops, burying a box of bread dough by a hot
spring or a geyser was the easy option. But beware of taking seconds
and thirds. The Icelandic staple is rumored to make people gassy and
even has a nickname to match—brumari, Icelandic for
thunderbread. Today, this bread made the old-fashioned way is hard to
find. For bread piping hot from the ground, head to Laugarvatn Fontana for a tasting and a tour of its geothermal bakery.
Focaccia. Photo from Pixabay.
8. Focaccia
Italy
Italy
While thought to have evolved from an ancient Etruscan (prior to the
Roman Empire) flatbread, focaccia that’s popular around the world today
is most similar to traditional recipes from Liguria, in northwestern
Italy. Here the bread is simple, seasoned with olive oil and salt, and
the most like the version of the bread that was eaten in Roman times,
although sometimes herbs, onion, or cheese is added. Traditional recipes
for this quick bread involve slicing knives through any bubbles that
may arise, and poking further wells into the dough in a process called
dotting to help the bread soak up the oil used to keep it moist.
Baguettes. Photo from Pixabay.
9. Baguette
France
France
Although no bread was technically recorded as being called a baguette
(French for wand or stick) before 1920, long loaves of crusty wheat
bread have been typical in France since the era of Louis XIV. The modern
long-skinny variation is thought to have become popular because of a
1920 law forbidding bakers working between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4
a.m. With less time to prepare the bread before the morning rush,
slender loaves were the best choice for a faster bake.
Bannock. Photo by Breville USA/Flickr.
10. Bannock
Scotland
Scotland
Historically these loaves were heavy and unleavened, made of barley or
oatmeal, and cooked over a stone griddle in a fire. They were also used
in rituals to celebrate the changing of the seasons and may have even
played a part in the deciding of potential victims’ fates during human
sacrifices during the late Iron Age. Fortunately for everyone, ritual
human sacrifice is no longer widespread in Scotland, and current
versions of the much more palatable bread use baking powder or soda to
lighten it up.
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