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| Basque Sheepherders Bread |
Hello!!
It's been a while since I penned a blog post - the truth of the matter is that
my inspiration has waned and I've been waiting for a new wave of interest to
find me so that I would feel the impending desire to write again and write
about something worthwhile and interesting...
Recently,
I heard an interview on BBC news while driving home
from work one evening that stopped me in my tracks and caught my interest in a
way that even surprised me. The story, featuring Malin Elmlid,
a Swede who’s based in Berlin, discussed her love of sourdough bread and what a
cultural key bread can be to discovering so much about so many - the common and
edible thread that weaves together almost every culture on the planet. She even
turned her desire to bake and trade bread into a lifestyle that's since
garnered a book deal, The Bread Exchange, elevating her
recognition within the International food community.
As
a Celiac, this interview might have been reason to switch to another channel on
Sirius XM given the intense discussion around sourdough and naan, both which I
clearly can't eat in the traditional sense of baking. Yet the feeling that came
through to me as I listened to this woman discussing the touch, smell, feel and
passion of baking bread was intoxicating. I wanted to hear more about her Bread
Exchange and how on earth trading loaves of fresh bread with perfect strangers
across continents could evolve into a multi-cultural exchange, and a
life-changing experience.
It's
true that science can trace back the creation of bread to nearly 30,000 years
ago. Bread, in all its various forms, is the most "widely consumed food in
the world". Not only is it an important source of carbohydrates and
protein (from gluten), it's also compact and portable, which helps explain why
it has been an integral part of our diets for thousands of years. More than
12,000 years ago, primitive people made flat breads by mixing flour and water
and placing these "cakes" in the sun to bake. Later, bread was baked
on heated rocks or in the hot ashes of fire. As empires rose and fell the
evolution of bread was intimately connected to the ancient cultures of the
Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. At one time it was said that the Greeks baked
over 50 different varieties of bread. It is also said that Columbus brought the
first known loaf of sourdough bread to this country in 1492.
The value of sharing bread is "borderless" and symbolic, both culturally and religiously, around the world. It's also the staple food in the majority of cultures, and like people, breads have regional and national characteristics that influence. Growing up in a Basque
family, bread was always present at our table and social gatherings. We learned
early on about Basque Sheepherder's bread, hearing tales my grandfather,
“Chichie,” would share about baking that bread in a Dutch oven while living
alone as a young man in the mountains of rural Nevada and Oregon tending sheep.
It was not only a staple in his diet, but his cultural companion to boot.
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A
diagnosis of Celiac Disease changes ones' relationship with bread...entirely.
Personally, I've made peace with the loss of real sourdough,
Italian Focaccia, fresh Parisian croissants and yes, Sheepherder's Bread...that
was until I listened to this BBC story and learned more about The Bread
Exchange!
As
the news story continued with baker/author Malin Elmlid, she spoke more about
her experimental baking late into the night that would happen after working a
"regular job" in the fashion industry by day. She started giving away
her breads to friends, colleagues and strangers, which then transformed into
travels and trading breads for say, concert tickets or sailing lessons, or
being invited into a family's home in Kabul, Afghanistan to partake in a meal.
The experience of arriving in a strange land with nothing more to offer than a
loaf of bread might sound unwise, even naive, however; Malin goes on to express
how the sharing of bread is "borderless" and opens up people's hearts
and minds, breaking down cultural barriers through exchange. It's such a simple
yet authentic concept that a loaf or a piece of bread can be the catalyst that
offers perfect strangers the window to exchange world views through this humble
yet mighty nourishment.
The
more I write about and research bread and learn of the "artisan"
varieties that seem to be available at every Farmer's Market anywhere, my taste
buds and heart are tugged at wanting to pick up a baguette, break off a piece,
and eat it right on the spot! And let's not even get me started about when I'm
traveling in Europe, most especially France, where my version of "pain
frais" is well, window shopping!! My years in Italy also exposed me to
massive amounts of "pane fresco" and far too many non-gluten free
crumbs near my plate that I shutter to recall! But what influenced me the most
during my time in friend's and family households was breads' presence at every
meal and every table on a daily basis. Life without fresh bread would be for
most, life without good conversation or joy. It's essential and engrained in
most cultures' DNA. As the Hungarian saying goes, "bread is older than
man".
Breaking
bread will most likely always be away for society to commune and take time to
share good food and conversation with one another, and bread will remain a
foundation at family tables (well, not mine!). Baking techniques will certainly
continue to evolve as will the demand for baked goods and more options for
gluten-free eaters, which is nice (I'm trying to be optimistic here), but the
longing for a piece of Sheepherder's Bread my grandfather used to bake stays
with me - I can almost taste it.
