Galery

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Until 70 years ago, sourdough bread was the main guest at the table of our grandparents. There are many superstitions and beliefs associated with sourdough and long fermented bread. Prepare yourself, as this may be a case in which the mix of tradition and faith has preserved for the next generations a technology that can be very valuable!

Probiotics, which are widely advertised and available today in the form of a dietary supplement, look like a creation of modern science. In fact, they are the flora in our digestive system that naturally exists in humans. Intestinal flora consists of harmless microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts and fungi that live and develop in the intestine. These microorganisms are essential for the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and some of them have a beneficial effect on the entire human body. Good bacteria, as they are popularly called, are in symbiosis with our body as both benefit from each other. The bacteria grow and survive due to the permanent import of nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract. They in turn contribute to improved digestion and absorption of substances, enhance the immunity system and reduce the risk of many diseases. In other words, it is useful for a person to be the "host" of these bacteria. Here is a curious video from TED, in which Bonnie Bassler talks about the bacteria in the human body, the role they play for us and about how bacteria in the human body..."talk" to each other:

Sourdough is a natural process of bread rising or fermentation. It is actually flour kneaded with water to a thick paste. Many enzyme and bacterial processes take place in this thick mixture, the most important of them being the symbiosis of Lactobacillus bacteria (Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis) and fungal yeast (Candida milleri). Nowadays, the pressed "store-bought" yeast contains only the fungal bacteria and therefore bread often goes mouldy. Sourdough can be obtained from almost every type of flour, including wheat, rye, chickpeas, but preferably whole wheat.

Long fermentation of bread, over 8 hours, contributes to the development of good bacteria in it. On the one hand, the acidic environment contributes to long storage of bread and on the other, to the preservation of probiotic bacteria while baking it. Furthermore, it reduces gluten in bread to levels that are suitable even for people with mild gluten intolerance.

Water in the mill of history

One of the discoveries that help human evolution is the creation of bread. No one knows exactly who discovered the prototype of modern bread, and when, but we know it is one of the greatest discoveries that greatly improved the lives of our ancestors. Hunger, this companion and opponent in the struggle for survival, has accompanied man almost throughout his entire existence. The discovery of bread made the life of the reasoning who struggled to survive a little more secure and predictable. This road led to the birth of the first civilizations. What impelled one to discover bread and all its forms and turn it into the most widely consumed food in the world? The reasons are understandable, if you look at the question from a practical point of view. Bread is not only an important source of carbohydrates, it is also easily portable and compact, which explains why it has been an integral part of our diet for thousands of years. Recent studies suggest that people started to prepare bread at least 30,000 years ago.

Prehistoric man already made porridge of roots, seeds, nuts and water, so it was just a matter of time to start preparing that mixture and to bake it on hot stones. Recent discoveries have established traces of starch, probably from the roots of reeds and ferns that filled the prehistoric grinding mortar. Prehistoric man peeled and dried the roots before grinding them into flour and mixing them with water, and then baked the mixture on the hot rocks. A variation of this forerunner of modern bread was the combination of acorns and water. Some areas of Africa and Asia consume such porridge bread even today.

                                                                Grinding stone

The East is the place where people first began using cereals. Nowadays descendants of these flat breads known as "pitas" can be found worldwide. They are similar to the Armenian lavash, Iranian sangak, Jewish matza, Mexican tortilla, Indian chapatti, Ethiopian injera and many others.

The storage of grain and flour in large quantities let to the creation of strategic grain reserves, granaries. One theory for the emergence of the first urban settlements relates particularly to the emergence of granaries.

                                       Ceramic granary, Kodzhadermen, Shumen. Copper Age.