Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
of the 1600s was the use of yeast re-introduced for the distribution of luxury bread,
which was salty and had added milk. In 1700, a very important innovation in the art
of bread making was disseminated: the millstones in mills were replaced with a
series of steel rollers. This allowed cheaper refining of flour. Also, pioneering mix-
ers were set up. With the advances brought by the industrial revolution, bread was
increasingly emerging as a staple food for workers. Rather than making the bread at
home, people preferred to buy it from bakers. This change was criticized as distort-
ing traditional values. At the same time, a health movement that originated in
America started a battle against leavened bread, stating it was deleterious to health.
Baker's yeast was considered a toxic element, perhaps because it was derived from
beer, while the sourdough gave a bad taste to the bread, which was remediated by
the addition of potash, equally harmful. When Louis Pasteur discovered that micro-
organisms caused the fermentation, the concern over the toxicity of biological
agents was amplified. Pasteur's discovery eventually benefitted the supporters of the
bread, as they stated that the use of selected yeast and related techniques was helpful
in the manufacture of bread with a longer shelf life. The education of taste in differ-
ent food cultures explains, however, the different relationship that has existed
between the perception of the quality of bread and its level of acidity.
During the First World War, the so-called “military bread” was used in Europe,
which was a loaf of 700 g weight with a hard crust. It was initially distributed to
soldiers and then also passed on to the civilian population. In the post-war period,
thanks to the much-discussed Battle of Wheat, strongly supported by Mussolini, the
production of wheat was plentiful and the bread was brought to the table of the
general population. The Second World War again resulted in an insufficient supply
of bread. With the arrival of the American allies, the bread of liberation - a square
white bread - became disseminated. Today, bread is regaining some importance.
With a turnaround in the culinary habits of Westerners, bread made with unrefined
flour, so-called black bread, is more widely consumed.
A brief mention should be made, finally, of the various breads that are currently
made with modern baking practices. Typical breads, with PDO (Denomination of
Protected Origin) or PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status, are the
Altamura bread, the bread of Dittaino, the Coppia Ferrasese, the bread of Genzano
and the Cornetto of Matera. The manufacture of these breads is based on new pro-
cesses, but still at an artisanal level [
15
] .
1.4
History and Social Aspects of Sourdough in Germany
Acidified and leavened bread has been consistently produced in Central Europe
(contemporary Austria, Germany, and Switzerland) for over 5,000 years. Leavened
and acidified bread dating from 3,600 B.C. was excavated near Bern, Switzerland
[
2
]; comparable findings of bread or acidified flat bread were made in Austria (dating
from 1800 B.C.) and Quedlinburg, Germany (dating from 800 B.C.) [
16
] . It remains
unknown whether these breads represent temporary and local traditions or a permanent
