Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History
Book by H.E. Jacob
Presentation by Kaite Zhang
Bread is power!!!
Highlights
the origins of agriculture
different types of grain—and their effects on world history
religion
politics
technology
science
culture
Origins of AgricultureTheories and Stories
Theories: Origin of Agriculture
antsobserved sowing, cultivating, harvesting grain-bearing grass (Dr. Gideon Lincecum, “father of plants”)
fluke
prehistoric manmuch like the ants
left seeds in dry spot, dry spot no longer, returning vegetation
Invention: the Plow
“the grubbing stick”prehistoric women of the household—garden
first hoe
plow: theorystuck in soil
oxen—could pull forward but not upward
Symbolism
earth—“Mother Earth”
first grain—“Father Millet”
“mother” receives the seed of “father”gods of grain also gods of fertility
wind: adultery and thieveryseeds light enough to be blown away
protected by plowing
selective breeding
Grain in the Ancient WorldEgyptIsraelGreeceRome
Egypt
Nile—giftsurplus
first developed the method for making bread (with fermentation)
did not fight decay
giant cone-like ovens made of brick
culture + economywages, taxes paid in breads
saved in tombs
Israelnomads—did not settle into Israel until after running from Egypt
not good for baking (no permanence, no time)
after settling—occupation of bakers
religious significancebroke bread; symbol of God Jehovah (Canaan)
unleavened (un-risen)—reflection of nomadic life
not holy but important
cultural significance: burden of farming
Greecenot as fertile as Egyptgrain = basis for legends and religions
Demeter: legend with Persephone, Triptolemos, and Hades, explanation for winterempathy: POV from the farmer, miller-girl, and the grainBread Church of Eleusis
connected to Triptolemos pray here and receive blessings from Demeter politically independent“celebration of the bread”
Romerevision of Demeter: Ceres
reputation of miller/bakerhighly skilled craft; high repute
politicsbakers made to be officials and put in seats of office—Proculus second mayor of Pompeii (no-no)
downfall of Empire—bread-producingburden of farming (one serf vs. one lord)—trading across empire, downfall
led to self-sufficient areas; dropped all but Egypt
Jesus Christ“the bread god”—creates bread out of thin air
known to have made five loaves of bread seem like five hundred
believed at time due to Egyptian magicians and Assyrian astrologers
more likely to have been powers of suggestion
“I am the bread”bread so important as to be the son of god? God is bread?
cannibalism vs. symbolism
Bread in the Middle AgesAfter the Fall of Rome
Battle of the Grains
wheatprevalent
flavorful
changes from food of the rich to staple food
ryedarker, considered less sophisticated in western Europe
generally the staple of the northern Europeans
oatsanimal feed
rarely eaten, even in times of famine
Barbarian Agriculturereluctant to adapt
originally nomads
unequal distribution of harvest slavery
slaveryserf—security for labor
culturemagic chants to wind god (prevalent)
“wicked corn mother”
“Christianization” of “barbarians” at the hands of monks and “saints”
“The Miller Was an Evil Man”…
mills vs. German water and wind spirits
millers did not “belong” to the town
millers eventually taken over by government
who owns the land, owns the mill
knocked out of a once-profitable job
forced to steal
…“And the Baker Starved Us”
baker was almost as hated as miller
quality of bread measured quality of baker
did he laugh “when the poor man weeps”?
along with the miller, the causes of hunger
began mixing various things—bark, straw, soil—with flour during famine
Influence of the Bleeding Bread
holy wafers (the Host) of the church were thought to have been bleeding
due to a misprint, thought to have been “pierced” or “stabbed”
Jews blamed--did not believe in Christ = bread
pierced bread = crucified Christ
turned out to be a red mold
The Peasant
long looked down upon + made fun of by burghs and elite
uneducated (no Latin, no Bible, no connection to God)Martin Luther (betrayed peasants)
translated Bible into vernacular understanding of rights under God hope + determination, willing to fight for fairness
– twelve “fundamental and correct chief articles of the peasants”
CornThe Wheat of the Americas
Corn as a Staple
grows much faster than wheat—three months versus eight
no need for plowingSouthern American Native Americans had no plows, only simple spades
Native American people had no history of famine, unlike Europe
corn taught by Squanto to “the” Pilgrims
allowed Americans to eat “anything”
Corn and the Culturethrived due to corn
felt that prosperity must be maintained
human sacrifices to goddess of young maize
handsome youth selected from prisoners of war
– celebrated as king until time of sacrifice– corpse carried down gracefully
had something similar to bread = Christate baked corn meal and drank human blood as eating their god Vitzilopochtl
Tradecorn
traveled to Europe due to Spanish explorers
became favorite of southeastern Europe to be made into porridge
due to discoveries of disease, maize unpopular in France and Italy
potatoat first thought unusual; “roots” edible, berries not?became staple of northeastern Europe (Ireland)Ireland Potato Famine (potato blight)
Bread is Greater than CottonCivil War; abolition began with the whites
bread = food, cotton = textile
although South had cotton exports and money, did not have enough food
flour cost $120.00 per barrel
meanwhile, no soldiers went hungry in the North
barricaded trade
America as Wheat Empiremarked decline of Russia’s bread
exported wheat to non-corn-eating Europeans
Europe had poor soil
internal unrest in England: tarriff
less success in rice-based Asia, but magic attracted
immigration
supported by railroads along which traveled wheat and corn
Chicago: millionaires of railroads
Bread in the 20th CenturyWorld War IRise of the American Peasant World War II
World War I: Victory to BreadBritish blockade—starving during the war
sufficient grain, insufficient feed
railroads inadequate; decayed
scientific experiments“artificial grain” (think…soil + pine bark)
encouraged soldiers to fight on
WWI may have possibly ended two years earlier
America: neutral, “wheat dealers” in control (of bread, in control of life)
The Party of the Bread
a growing industry fueled a surplus of grain
stock markets (grain markets)
gave farmers more powertremendous influence on both Democrats and Republicans
finally, the backbone receives their share
World War II
learned from WWI—rye
Nazi Germany: agrophiles or agrophobes?
Hitler unfavorable to peasantry; reminds him of self
“pacte de famine”famine used as a weapon of war
as Germany power spread, only those who served the Third Reich could eat (plundered food)
Miscellaneous Bread TechnologyImpact on the World
Bread Technology
the plow
reaper (1825ish)Cyrus McCormick, Obed Hussey
allowed one man to do the work of many, be it four or twelve
modern mill (Müller + Sulzberger, 1830)
could now grind tough North
Bread Technology (cont.)
artificial fertilizer (Liebig, 1840ish?) discovered plants did not need decaying matter; needed inorganic matterartificial fertilizer provided inorganic matter more efficiently than manure
botany (Mendel, 18601900)introduced the idea of purposely improving the plant as well as the soil
mass-production of bread (Ward, p.m. 1930s)
“from mill to mouth” all mechanical
World Impact
motivation for scientific advancementstechnology
biology/chemistry
basis for religions (Christ) and legends (Demeter)
bread is powerbread is food/nutrition
he who controls the bread has the means to become emperor
hunger fuels the human psyche
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