Abstract
The history of sourdough and related baked goods follows the entire arc of the development of human civilization, from the beginning of agriculture to the present. Sourdough bread and other sourdough baked goods made from cereals are examples of foods that summarize different types of knowledge, from agricultural practices and technological processes through to cultural heritage. Bread is closely linked to human subsistence in temperate climates and intimately connected to tradition, the practices of civil society, and religion. Christian prayer says, “Give us this day our daily bread” and the Gospels report that Jesus, breaking bread at the Last Supper, gave it to the Apostles to eat, saying, “This is my body given as a sacrifice for you.” Many languages also retain expressions that recall the close bond between life and bread: “to earn his bread” and “remove bread from his mouth” are just some of the most common idioms, not to mention the etymology of words in current use. For example “companio,” a word first used in late Latin or early French, is derived from cum panis, which means someone with whom you share your bread. In turn, “companio” was used in 2020 to name a genus of lactobacilli, Companilactobacillus, which frequently occurs in sourdoughs [1]. The word “lord” is derived from the Old English vocabulary hlaford, which translates as guardian of the bread [2]. The symbolic assimilation between bread and life is not just a template that has its heritage in the collective unconscious, but it is probably a precipitate of the history of culture and traditions. Throughout development of human civilization, (sourdough) bread was preferred over unleavened cereal products, supporting the hypothesis of a precise symbolism between the idea of elaborate and stylish, and that of sourdough. The transformation of raw cereals by fermentation and leavening was likely necessary to allow human societies to transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agricultural societies [3] but also produced an artifact in the sense of “made art.” Besides symbolism, sourdough bread has acquired a central social position over time. Bread, and especially sourdough bread, has become central in the diet of peasant societies. This suggests that the rural population empirically perceived sensory and nutritional transformations, which are also implemented through sourdough fermentation. In other words, the eating of bread, and especially of sourdough bread, was often a choice of civilization.