Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
History and Social Aspects of Sourdough
Stefan Cappelle , Lacaze Guylaine , M. Gänzle, and M. Gobbetti
1.1
Sourdough: The Ferment of Life
The history of sourdough and related baked goods follows the entire arc of the
development of human civilization, from the beginning of agriculture to the present.
Sourdough bread and other sourdough baked goods made from cereals are examples
of foods that summarize different types of knowledge, from agricultural practices
and technological processes through to cultural heritage. Bread is closely linked to
human subsistence and intimately connected to tradition, the practices of civil soci-
ety and religion. Christian prayer says “Give us this day our daily bread” and the
Gospels report that Jesus, breaking bread at the Last Supper, gave it to the Apostles
to eat, saying, “This is my body given as a sacrifice for you”. Language also retains
expressions that recall the close bond between life and bread: “to earn his bread”
and “remove bread from his mouth” are just some of the most common idioms, not
to mention the etymology of words in current use: “companion” is derived from
cum panis
, which means someone with whom you share your bread; “lord”, is
derived from the Old English vocabulary
hlaford
, which translates as guardian of
the bread [
1
]. The symbolic assimilation between bread and life is not just a template
that has its heritage in the collective unconscious, but it is probably a precipitate of the
history of culture and traditions. Throughout development of the human civiliza-
tion, (sourdough) bread was preferred over unleavened cereal products, supporting
