The Innovation of Sliced Bread

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Charles Fout, Dec 22, 2022.

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  1. Charles Fout

    Charles Fout Active Member

    Please bear with me, and forgive me for quoting from a closed thread. I do so with the best of humor.

    Rachel83az said, "Since you think Trump is the greatest thing since sliced bread..."

    I realize this is a figure of speech, I am much too young to be impressed with the innovation of sliced bread. I assume Rachel83az is also.

    I'm right smack in the middle of a Maintenance Chemo Cycle. I'm usually pretty cranky at this point. However, as I made my awesome breakfast this morning the "sliced bread" comment popped into my head, giving me an enjoyable laugh. To me, sliced bread is just.... well bread
    we've lived in our newly adopted hometown for about eight months now. We are near the Blue Ridge Mountains in southern Virginia. Every single person we've met is incredibly nice and helpful. This is farm country. This A. M. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed my BLT Sandwich. Bacon from the Mennonite farm and bread from the Amish roadside stand. My Tomato was a Canadian Hothouse variety. There are a few things I miss about Fredericksburg. I was very happy to still have some Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise on hand, from my Cambodian Grocer, Chen in Spotsylvania. We do have an Asian Supermarket in Lynchburg but it's not as nice as Chen's.

    Anyway - Good humor and Happy Holidays to all. The sharp knife and unsliced bread made this B. L. T. something to write about.

    Really other than convenience what made sliced bread so wonderful? I've taken it for granted my whole life.
     
  2. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Right. Convenience addeth, uniformity taketh away.
     
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  3. mintaru

    mintaru Active Member

    Of course, there is actually no advantage other than convenience. As far as I know, the saying "the greatest thing since sliced bread" exists because when it came out sliced bread was such a huge success. The first pre-sliced bread appeared in the USA in 1928. Just five years later, 80 percent of bread sold in the United States was pre-sliced.
     
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  4. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Best kind of bread for me is Italian. Unsliced. You can wear down a knife pretty quickly on the crust. In fact, back in the 80's, where I lived then, there was still a knife-grinder, of Italian origin who trundled his small machine through the streets, with a bell that announced his trade.

    I remember a soup recipe I learned back then. Calabrese bread - a bit old is best. Cubed. Fresh tomatoes - same way. Cook together on low heat. That's it. Pepper and salt if you like. Casarecchia - home cookin'. That and some salad -- magnifico!
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2022
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  5. mintaru

    mintaru Active Member

    As a German, I naturally think that German bread is the best. I think the same is true for most Germans. After all, there are 300 different types of bread in Germany, more than in any other country. There should be something for everyone.
     
  6. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I'm with you, on that, mintaru. We have plenty of German-name bakeries here in Canada - e.g. Dimpflmeier. Lots of Roggenbrot, Klosterbrot, stuff like that. Just finished lunch - sandwich made with pumpernickel. Dimpflmeier, of course. I only buy the best! Ausgezeichnet!

    There are quite a few countries that make bread that is far better than our everyday domestic product.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2022
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  7. Charles Fout

    Charles Fout Active Member

    Now I wonder was the Amish bread that I so enjoyed this A. M. an old German Recipe? or was it a New World Amish recipe? <3
     
  8. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    ... As long as it "schmecks" - as the Amish say, and both recipes do - does it really matter? :)
    Or is that Pennsylvania Dutch - which is really "Pennsylvania Deutsch" - German, not Dutch.
    Just checked - Yep. Pennsylvania Dutch of several faiths - and all-Mennonite communities as well.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2022
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  9. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I was right. Amish say "schmecks" too. Amish are also known as Old-Order Mennonites. I'm not much on religion of any kind, but I love to hear "Plautdietsch" and Plautdietsch-flavoured English. Almost as nourishing as the bread! (And just as thick!) :)
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2022
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  10. mintaru

    mintaru Active Member

    The word "schmecks" differs in only one letter from its Standard German counterpart "schmeckt".

    By the way, I'm from northern Germany. The local German dialect here is called Platt, which is short for Plattdietsch. Plautdietsch and Platt are closely related. There are differences, but when someone speaks Plautdietsch, I understand every word. Unfortunately, many North Germans no longer speak Platt, but at least children learn Platt in kindergarten.

    The Pennsylvania Dutch got their name at a time when English speakers didn't differentiate between German and Dutch. At that time there was no German national state and the Netherlands was still part of the "Holy Roman Empire", at least on paper.
     
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  11. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

  12. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    True. "Tastes." :)
    Yes - I became familiar with a little Plattdeutsch / Plattdietsch when I was in High School here in Canada - about 65 years ago. We read a novel in German class where several characters spoke it. I now have a friend in North Germany - we're e-mail buddies. Platt has been mentioned sometimes in our conversations. My friend is trilingual - very proficient in German, French and English. He knows Platt too, of course. We can both swear reasonably well in Russian, which we do, whenever Vladimir Putin's name comes up. :(
    That's the English for you! Always an excuse! I should know - I was born there! :)

    Thanks for the great explanations. Good for people to know.
     
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  13. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    German bread is the best. I've purchased bread in at least half a dozen countries and none of them can beat fresh German bread. For instance, Italian bread is pretty much all variations on plain white bread. Different shapes, same taste. It's boring. If you want good bread, you have to go to a store that carries international breads (mostly from Germany).

    It doesn't help, either, that the Italians I've spoken to usually insist on bread being at least a day old. I'm told that stale bread is "better for digestion" and is better for sopping up the oil/juices from a meal. There is a Italian term for wiping your clean plate with a bit of bread, but I forget what it is. I'd rather do it with fresh bread. It tastes better.
     
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  14. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    Actually, to clarify, there are a number of traditional Italian breads that aren't just plain white bread. But they're not as popular as modern white bread, so good luck finding commercial varieties. They may be available at some specialty Italian bakeries.

    In Germany, there are at least half a dozen (maybe more) varieties of commercially-packed industrial-scale bread in the supermarket. The plentiful German bakeries have even more (and better/fresher) varieties of bread available. This includes the bakeries that are attached to, but different brands than, the supermarket itself.

    I adore German bread.
     
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  15. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Italian corn bread is quite popular here. (At least with yours truly). It's not like American cornbread which is usually yellow and sweetened to some degree. (The kind I love - I make it sometimes.) Overall, I have to agree with Rachel and mintaru. When I go bread-shopping, it's usually a German loaf that makes it into my basket. There's some great hard Polish rye - but I can only get it in one store.
     
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  16. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I think that's fare la scarpetta - "do the little shoe." :)
     
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  17. mintaru

    mintaru Active Member

    A German supermarket that only has half a dozen types of bread has to be a very small one. And there are also Brötchen, German bread rolls, in every market.

    Unfortunately, many bakeries in Germany are currently facing major economic problems. The vast majority of German bakeries use ovens that are powered by natural gas, and the price of natural gas in Europe has gone through the roof for well-known reasons.
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2022
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  18. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    Even half a dozen is quite a bit, when compared to Italian bread or even American. You get huge bread sections for both, but it's mostly all variations on white bread (usually Toast). It's so boring. At least in the US, there are a few more options in many supermarkets if you're willing to pay significantly more for your bread. Most of them still can't hold a candle to basic German bread, though.
     
  19. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

  20. mintaru

    mintaru Active Member

    Unfortunately, bakeries, like private individuals, do not buy their natural gas on the spot market.

    As was the case this year, German utility companies can pass on price increases to customers at relatively short notice, but if the price falls again, they don't have to lower prices immediately. In extreme cases, this can take up to 12 months.

    At that point you get everything back that you have overpaid, but first you have to pay a bill that is actually too high for months. Many people in Germany are currently having this problem, myself included.
     

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