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The Rise of Bread
In Italian the word for “bread” is pane, the etymological root for which is pà meaning “nourishment.” We find the same root in the translation of “meal”, pasto. I personally love our idiom for describing a very good, honest, humble and true man: “buono come il pane” (“as good as bread').
The Beloved Baguette
Think about the way you envision a stereotypical Frenchman: black beret, a striped t-shirt and a baguette under the arm.The beret is from the Basque country. The stripes are common in Brittany. But what about the baguette?
Brot—An Obsession
Oh, the smell: Fresh. Inviting. Tasty. Do you remember how it feels when the smell of fresh bread is filling the whole room, coming from the kitchen table? This mouthwatering experience is a sensation that you can have at home almost every morning. You take a fresh roll and your knife. And then comes the sound: The crackle, the splintering—when the sharp steel slices through the crust and cuts the roll in half.
A Tour of Spanish Breads
Bread is a universal staple in all countries. In Spain, the types of bread and traditions surrounding it relate strongly to the rich history of the country. To understand this simple food better, it is best to start with a quick review of the history of Spain and how it has blended international traditions over time.
My Vicarious Love of Bread (A Poem)
This is our staple—a soulful donation.
Complete and submitted, this generous piece of heart.
A doorstep with butter; salted and smooth.
Spread it thickly and dunk it heavily into soup.
And oooo the crust, what a dream, as it crumbles and flakes;
making such a lovely mess!
I Did It Too: Why Did We All Make Sourdough During Quarantine?
I have never made a sourdough starter, nor have I ever had an interest in doing so. While I love sourdough bread, everything I’d read in the past indicated that it is a long, laborious process with little promise of success. Why would I bother when my time is precious and I can buy fantastic sourdough from my local bakery?
To Bread — A Photographic Poem
“ ...sharing tidbits and discoveries, not only stretches out a pleasant social evening but bonds friends together in a very emotional way. In fact, the very word COMPANION comes from the Latin COM PANIS, or 'WITH BREAD', meaning the person you share meals with – friendship defined by dining.” — Eve Zibart
Jeely Piece: The Tale of an Iconic Scottish Treat
The “Jeely Piece” song originates in Glasgow, second city of the Empire and power house of manufacturing in Scotland. As more and more people moved to the city to find work, by the turn of the 20th century, the poorer areas were overcrowded, infested and rife with disease. When the Second World War ended and the government of the day adopted policies to look after the wellbeing of all of their citizens, the slums of Glasgow became an obvious target for new social housing policies.
Traveling in Piemonte Gluten-free
The idea of traveling gluten–free in Italy might seem like a nearly impossible task (carb city!) but it is actually much easier than you think. Many Italians themselves suffer from Celiacs Disease and it is more and more common to find bakeries and pizzerias offering gluten-free alternatives.
Talo: The Basque Way to Health and Strength
What comes to mind when you think of the Basque culture in Spain? Perhaps its famous locales like the cities of Bilbao or San Sebastián, mouth-watering pintxos (Basque-style tapas), the world-renown wine region La Rioja, or even the lively festival of San Fermín (popularly associated with The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona).
Khachapuri: bread + cheese = heaven
It’s something I wish weren’t true, but I have to admit it: I love carbs. I mean, what’s better than hot, fresh bread? You know what else I love, despite myself? Fat. I think most people do; it’s probably hard-wired and evolutionary. So what actually is better than hot, fresh bread? How about smothering it with something deliciously fat—like cheese?
The Baguette: A Brief History
What could be more French than the traditional baguette? Even if, it is said, more are consumed in Algeria, a former French colony, than in France itself. The word baguette is, amongst other things, the French expression for a wizard’s wand, a conductor’s baton and a chopstick, the quintessentially traditional French loaf of bread simply taking its name from the shape.
Bread Battle Royale: Rye vs Baguette
Having lived 25 wonderful years in France, but born in Denmark, there's still one thing missing from my birth country, and that is the rye bread. The tasty rye bread is dense, like the image of brooding Scandinavians. It is dark, like the Danish-produced televison crime shows.
Sweet Potato Bread: New Zealand's (Greatest) Gift to Mankind
New Zealand is perhaps not the first nation that you think of when you think of great bread, or even of culinary delights in general. A lot of what is today considered New Zealand food finds influence from other cultures that have come here–most notably the British. That’s why things like fish and chips, meat pies, and lamb roast are all today considered to be quintessentially Kiwi.
Breadtime Stories
The end of summer vacation in Italia was here. Finito—the endless days of sun and laughter of young and old. Over are the unorganized days spent together with family and friends. It was time to go home. Back home again, back north, to the other side of the Alps.
Letter from the Founder—August 2020
“Through words, photos, video, audio and other kinds of media we can develop, our goal is to communicate, inspire, and connect our readers with the world in a meaningful way.”