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In Germany as in most parts of Europe, bread
is an essential part of the staple diet. There are over 400
different bread varieties (plus around 1200 small bakery products)
throughout the country, from a range of countries ranging
from light and crusty (like French Baguettes) to heavy and
nourishing. Although there are increasingly numbers of industrial-style
bread factories in Germany, every town still has a family-run
bakery which turns out national favourites and regional &
house specialities on a daily basis.
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A Breaded History
Along with porridge, bread was the basic food of Europe until
the advent of the potato in the 18th century - and in those
days, it was only those who were well off or who had access
to a communal bake-house who could eat it. In many places
villagers still take trays of their own wares down to the
bakery in the mornings, to be baked while ovens are still
warm from the batch of the day. The price of bread was usually
tied to the price of corn, so when the crop failed, the poorer
sections of society were in danger of starving.
Speciality Breads
German bread is usually eaten with butter, or some other
such tasty spread. It is typically cheap, hence the phrase
'for the price of a buttered roll'. There are 4 main types
of bread in Germany: rye bread, favoured
in northern Germany (especially around Brandenburg, where
much of the country's rye is grown); wheat bread from
the south and mixed rye bread and mixed wheat bread. Speciality
breads may have tasty extras added, such as oat, spelt, spices,
sesame seed or onion.
Pretzels
One of the specialities of Southern Germany and one of the
world's most popular snacks is the pretzel
- be it sweetened, served with coffee or tiny, twiglet style
and sealed in a bag. The twisted rolls actually originated
in the south of Germany, as the fine wheat flour needed to
make them comes from that part of the country.
Originally they were simple round rolls introduced by the
Romans, and the twisted shape, now the symbol of the Bakers'
trade, didn't emerge until the 12th century. Nonetheless the
German word for them, brezel, is derived form the Latin bracchium,
meaning 'arm' - as they look like intertwining arms. With
their devotion to bread, Germans believe the pretzel will
bring good luck, prosperity and spiritual wholeness. This
probably worked for the refugees from religious persecution
and war who took them to America in the 17th and 18th century.
In Bavaria, pretzels are eaten on fast days
and feast days. They were traditionally given to farmhands
on St Martins Day (11th November) and hung on gravestones
as a symbol of the end of life. The biggest pretzels you'll
ever lay eyes on can be bought at that glutinous jamboree,
the Oktoberfest.
The pretzel makers' technique of swinging and twisting the
dough into it familiar shape is an inspiration to watch. Sadly,
it's a dying art and all too few of these talented bakers
remain in the vicinity.
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