Tag: bread

Best of “Foreign Lands”

Dear Readers,

After renewing its website, “Words in Ideas” is preparing its 3rd year of fresh new articles, starting in October. While you wait, you can read (or re-read) the best articles under the category “Foreign Lands”. These articles aim to compare languages and cultures.

 

 
During the first year, articles described some traditional food around the world. Here are the 5 best:

 

 
In the 2nd year, we followed the discoveries of a group of language learners. Here are the 5 best:

 

 
This 3rd year, “Words in Ideas” will discuss some cultural crossroads.

 
If you wish to comment or send suggestions, please fill in the form at the end of each website page.

Thank you!
Words in Ideas
https://wordsinideas.com/
 

Keyword: MONASTERY | Bread

One of the most widespread foods, bread is greatly differentiated from region to region. As a base of probably all countries’ diets, it is sometimes a synonym of food or meal. For this reason, bread is metaphorically used on several occasions. It is a token of sharing and socializing, a way of saying that people are earning money, a religious symbol.

Bread is as old as the Neolithic. Back when humans settled in the same place and began farming and raising livestock, mixing flour (crushed grains) with water seemed a very good idea to make a nutritious food. Since then, it has evolved in terms of the flour used and the ingredients added. Egyptians found out that if the dough would ferment, the bread would be lighter. Romans invented the concept of bakery shops: shops specialised in baking bread to sell to customers. Then, during the industrial revolution, bread began to be mass-produced. Nowadays, it is recognised that artificial ingredients are not healthy and new solutions are being sought. Furthermore, people with allergies can already choose types of bread that take that into consideration.

Although quite ancient, bread has managed to remain modern. Sandwich, pizza and calzone, bun, toast, crouton are some of the dishes based on bread, but there are also soups, salads, main dishes or even desserts. You can buy bread everywhere and you can also bake it at home. There are even machines to help you with it. If you are imaginative, you can bake your own bread using different types of flour and adding original ingredients.

A life without bread is unthinkable for the majority of humankind. The truth is, few things make you feel at home like the smell of fresh bread. Therefore, bread has a past, but also a future, definitely. What future that will be, we will have to wait and see.

 

Key place: USA’s EAST COAST | Sandwiches

Everyone knows what a sandwich is and everyone has eaten one. No mystery there. Some people have heard the story of how Earl Sandwich wanted to have something to eat without having to leave the gaming table. Hence, the name. True or not, eating bread with something inside is something that people have been doing probably since bread was invented.

The most basic sandwich you can do is to spread butter on a slice of bread. From there, you can add ham, cheese, jam… and another slice of bread. Then, you can add another slice of bread, making a kind of a double sandwich. If you fancy vegetables, you can add lettuce, tomato, grated carrot… In order to be more substantial, like a lunch or a dinner, you can put mayonnaise, a boiled egg (or a fried egg), meat or fish.

Sandwiches can be as different as your imagination. However, there are pre-defined types and some typical sandwiches per country. In The Netherlands, for example, they put the French croquette between two slices of bread and called it broodje kroket (croquette sandwich). As great fish eaters, and directly from their colonial heritage, they also have the broodje bakkeljauw, which is a sandwich with fried cod and is based on Suriname cuisine. In England, the Afternoon Tea usually comes with various sandwiches, namely the famous cucumber sandwich. They look like miniatures and can be displayed in those three-tiered dishes, like the mini-cakes. Then, there is the world-renowned club sandwich, which was invented in New York, USA. And speaking about the USA, they were also the inventors of putting the hamburger between two slices of bread.

Sandwiches can have different forms: rectangular, triangular, round, squared, baguettes. You can also design animals or other figures with different ingredients, or serve it as an “open sandwich” (the bread is the base and the ingredients seem to be escaping from it). All types of bread are allowed, and you can choose to have a healthier sandwich or one full of calories with lots of sauce or jam.

Options are endless, enjoyment is granted, fun is a plus.