Culinary time capsule: Exploring the history of food and its ingredients

'Como pan caliente' meaning 'like hot bread'  In my last blog, we talked about France's engrossing and enthralling history with bread. We discussed about the middle ages that led to the creation of preferment bread called Boule and the qualities of  a good French bread. We also talked about some of the varieties of French breads. Today, let us talk about Mexican breads.  The history of Mexican breads is linked to the Spanish conquest. The colonists brought the wheat. The locals or the natives worked on those wheat farms to provided breads for the colonists which resulted in them eventually eating the bred themselves out of necessity. Juan Garrido, an African explorer and a freed slave harvested one of the first wheat plantation on  Hernán Cortés's land, which was later given to him. He is also one of the first bakers of the colonial era. The people of Mexico thought that the bread tasted quite bland until an inventive viceroy dipped a piece of bread in hot choco...

If we scour around or explore, there are various types of breads in the world; each distinctive in its own way. Breads are a staple all around, be it conchas from Mexico or naan from India. They are consumed and enjoyed in various ways everywhere, especially France. The French have mastered the art of bread making, dating all the way back to the middle ages and the renaissance period. It holds utmost significance to the French people. It is said that during the French revolution, an average man ate about three pounds of bread per day.  Since the, French breads have gained popularity to a great extent - from the creation of baguette to adaptation of different flours for bread making, the history of French breads is lengthy and filled with fascination. These breads have always been prepared with four ingredients - flour, water, yeast and salt.   Inspite of using only four ingredients, the French have perfected the art of making breads. Ingredients like ascorbic acid and rye fl...