Just dough it!
Part II
In culinary jargon, the soft inner part of bread is known as the ‘crumb’ which is different from crumbs – the tiny pieces of bread that have fallen off. The hard outer portion is called the ‘crust.' There’s this old wives’ tale that eating the bread crust makes a person’s hair curlier. However, no matter how hard a bread crust may be, it is still no match against hot coffee, as the late great cinema icon, Fernando Poe, Jr. immortalized in his movie, “Walang Matigas Na Tinapay Sa Mainit Na Kape.”
Even affairs of the heart have not been spared from the magical influence of bread. Scandinavians have this old belief that if a boy and a girl ate from the same loaf of bread then they are bound to fall in love with each other. Hmmm, maybe getting a love interest to share a large sandwich with you might just work to win that person’s affections. As they say, “The way to a man’s heart is through the stomach.”
Royalty has always fascinated the common man and what could be more fascinating than this ‘King of Breads.' In Spain, Juan Manuel Moreno bakes what is probably the most expensive bread in the world. At roughly Php 6,300 for a 400-gram round loaf, it is popular with wealthy Russian and Chinese tourists who delight in eating the edible gold-filled and gold-encrusted bread! While the gold flakes impart no extra flavor, this golden bread does give buyers an exclusive taste befitting their moneyed status. And yes, bragging rights, too.
In Portugal, pao (bread) figures so prominently in their cuisine that acorda or bread soup is served all-year round. To the people of Poland, chleb (bread) is more than just a source of nutrition. Symbolizing good fortune to them, older people even kiss a piece of bread if they drop it on the floor to show their respect.
Rice may be the staple in southern India, but wheat bread is the mainstay in the northern regions. It is made fresh for every meal with Roti and Chappati as the simplest and most common variety made. Regardless of the kind of bread that is served, custom dictates that it is never held and eaten with the left hand; only the right-hand fingertips will do.
Besides wine, nothing represents the French more than pain (bread) with the thin long baguette as the standard bearer. Infamously suggesting that the hungry peasants 'eat cake' instead of bread (which became scarce), Queen Marie-Antoinette reaped the anger of her subjects who eventually toppled the monarchy during the French Revolution. As a consequence, the royals were sent to the guillotine for beheading. Ouch!
What many don’t realize is that bread has other hidden benefits. The American Society’s Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry reported that bread encourages the growth of the beneficial bacteria, Lactobacillus in the gut which in turn helps keep the immune system strong. Bread is an ideal food for pregnant women as it contains folic acid which lowers the incidence of birth defects in the brain and spine. In older people, folic acid aids in delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Modern bakeries have recently come up with innovative bread products to meet certain niche markets. The Walter brand has a Whole Wheat Raisin bread that is sugar-free, fat-free, low-sodium and high in dietary fiber for diabetics; a Double-Fiber (wheat & apple) bread made for those with hypertension and coronary-related ailments; a Weight-Control bread rich in oat and vegetable fibers to help consumers feel full longer.
So, the next time you 'break brea' (dine together) with someone, know that the word companion comes from the Latin com, “with” and panis, 'bread.' Bread’s importance can never be over-emphasized for civilizations would never have flourished without it. Much gratitude is due to all the bakers out there who have to wake up before dawn just so we can enjoy our favorite bread. May their tribe increase.
Sources: Wikipedia, The Food Book, theCatholicbeat, Phil.Star
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