So are all us science nerds ready for a little bit more about history and culture! Today, I am going to briefly discuss the types of breads made in India and Rome, Italy, one being the original home of the cucumber and the second being the city that was the original large source of the cucumber’s popularity!
So What Bread is Made in India? Is it Anything Like Sourdough?
India has a culture where many savory and fascinating types of breads are made, however, many of the traditional breads are nothing like that of sourdough bread or what we as Americans imagine bread to be, that of a fluffy and soft, sandwich/sub, breakfast or pizza style bread. In India, many of the breads that are made are more like flatbreads or dough fried until crispy meant to be served with curry, soups, or stir-fries, the nations more traditional and common foods or meals. What makes these breads even more interesting is that most of them do not really use microbes or anything to rise. Traditional recipes of these breads either fluff out some during the frying process, while the other ones served as a side to many of the dishes served at meals are similar to cracker like flatbreads. The main ingredients in these traditional breads, ones that have been made for hundreds of years throughout the culture of India, are often simply water (sometimes milk), lots of flour, spices and herbs, and intense heat from some sort of skillet or oil! That’s it! Only a few of the breads that I have researched, such as naan contain a small amount of active dry yeast.
Below are pictures of some beloved Indian breads! In order (from left to right) called chapati, parathas, poori, and aaloo paratha, all of which have water, flour with or without mashed potatoes, and spices/salt as their ingredients!
So What About Rome in Italy?
The story of bread in Rome is completely different than what we learned of traditional Indian breads in many significant ways. Just as cucumbers were, bread was a major part of the ancient Roman culture. It was something that could be made and accessed by not just royalty, but people of all classes and thus many people learned to make and enjoy bread. Some of the original Roman breads include one that is just a mixture of water, flour, olive oil, and salt and rather than cooked into a cracker/flatbread or fried like in the Indian culture, was actually baked in a circle similar to that of how sourdough is cooked today and then cut into quarters or eight pieces, making them look almost like scones. This was simply a recipe for kneaded bread that anyone was capable of making at the time. However, what was also interesting is that I found that people back in ancient Rome conducted a lot of trial and error in the process of making bread and came up with the making of a bread with something that they call ‘biga’ in Italy, which is essentially a mixture created that is very similar to that of the sourdough starters that we know of and use today. As studied by a chef in Italy now who has come up with a recipe for that specific bread, it has been determined that that starter of some sort, that is incredibly similar to a sourdough starter, was mixed them with the expected flour, water, and salt and then again, as it has always traditionally been, cut into eight wedges as if that is how it used to be sold, that people would pay for that piece. That makes these breads, their composition and way of preparation as well as their texture, very similar to that of sourdough bread! Is that not cool or what!
Below are a couple pictures of traditional Roman Bread!
So there you have it! A little tid-bit of information about the breads made historically and traditionally in the birthplace of the cucumber itself and the place where the cucumber’s popularity soured! I cannot wait to see all of you guys again in the next blog; keep experiencing the world and science-ing in between then and now!
Sources:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/popular-indian-breads-1957353
TBI Food Secrets: 18 Traditional Indian Breads That You Must Absolutely Try Out
http://www.openculture.com/2015/08/how-to-bake-ancient-roman-bread-dating-back-to-79-ad.html
https://www.romae-vitam.com/roman-bread.html