Bread baking cookbook you need every day

By Maleb Braine

Discover how to level up your bread-baking skills and swiftly move from beginner to artisanal baker... without paying the hefty costs of culinary lessons.

Discover:

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Suaho Print
• Release date: Sep 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781915666062

Book preview

Part I - From Italy, With Love

You’ve seen the movies and you most likely understand the romantic and sensual context of Italian culture, where cuisine is also typically portrayed. But do you know what makes Italian food so special?

In Part I, we will delve into the chapters that explain the country's style, palate, tradition, and modern takes on dishes. From its influence throughout history to its popularity in modern times, we will discover why it is such a loved cuisine all around the world.

Chapter 1: The History of Italian Cuisine

We can say that it all started in the great Roman Empire, and has evolved throughout the Middle Ages, into the  Renaissance, and well into WWII: a remarkable journey into the centuries of Empirical invasion, Catholic claim, Industrial revolution, and later Fascist ideals, all molding the people, culture, and general social constructs of a nation.

The beauty shines through when you think of how this country turned its struggle into success both as a country and as a culinary masterpiece.

If you look at the geographical location alone, you can understand why Italy was able to influence an entire culinary culture. The Mediterranean climate proved bountiful through the produce of wheat, olive oil, wine, cheese, sunflowers, and a good number of fruits and vegetables that other regions of Continental Europe at the time couldn't support due to their weather and access.

The separation from the rest of Europe by the high and then sometimes impassable mountain ranges known today as the Alps was a large contender of the climate. Other pockets of islands and coastal regions pulled the influence of food widely towards the ocean.

Then we talk about their influence from and on others. Over the centuries as a Roman Empire, the country found much of its inspiration from those it conquered and those it traded with.

As the years pervaded and history did its rounds, so did the diversity of the country and its regions. The culinary vision between the north and the south of Italy started to show differences. The north leveraged the Northern European regions above it, while the south took inspiration from the Middle East and Northern African cultures residing below. Spices, meat, and cereal grain all flowed into the empire creating a hotspot for culinary infusion.

The recipes passed down from one generation to another were kept alive with pride as a way to hold onto the roots that built the nation and its template. This certainly depended on the class you were born into at the time, showing us that the noble and elite were accessing a larger variety of foods and techniques that would build the greater influence, while the peasantry sourced directly from their land, cultivating a reliance on the olive, vine, and cereal, also known as the Mediterranean Triad, or the foundation of Mediterranean cuisine.

End of the Roman Empire and Into the Middle Ages

The Romans loved many things, but what stood out was their love for banquets, festivities, and entertainment. Their consumption of fruits, cheeses, bread, and copious amounts of wine gave us the consistent image we often see today in the media.

Then, the 4th century dawned and the arrival of the Barbarians signified the end of the Roman Empire. They poured their ruggedness and simplicity into the Italian culture and in turn the cuisine. From the Roman's usual taste of grain and vine, we begin to see the inclusion of beer and butter from the Northern invaders, and the reciprocated influence of Roman olive oil and wine.

Once the Roman Empire was completely disbanded, the Catholic influence throughout the Middle Ages began to show. A subversive change in the habits and behaviors during the period saw the culture begin to distinguish more on what could and couldn't be eaten.

A culinary culture had to change from the free and fragrant ideal of the Roman Empire to the strict and pious rules that governed the culinary world after the implementation of the Catholic church. Sin, lust, and pride were all condemned, and most noticeable through culinary practices. Fasting and abstinence saw a rise as well as the exclusion of meat from the diet, as it was seen as an energetic and violent food that brought about lust and passion in an individual. Therefore, bread, legumes, grains, cheese, and seasonal fruits were more acceptable.

The Charmalagne influence in the 8th century created an equal ground between honoring the Lord and celebrating life, bringing a balance to the chastity of the Church in fasting and behaving most of the week, while keeping one or two days open for good flavors and pleasure.

In the 9th century the Arabs brought in their understanding and usefulness of dried grain, and in turn, pasta itself arrived on the shores of Italy. Its influence climbed up the boot from Sicily and eventually became incredibly popular as far as Spain and France.

Late Middle Ages and Through the Renaissance

As the 11th century dawned, the Renaissance took hold and a bourgeoisie was forming in the arts and sciences. There came a fondness for luxury and excess as a return to city life was established where people traded, built great cities, and mingled in thought and in finance. A return to the past practices of culinary freedom bloomed, and so, pleasurable food returned as a symbol of status.

The late middle ages in the north of Italy started to see a love for sugar, dried fruits, nuts, and foreign spices like cinnamon. Roasting was once more on the menu, and thanks to the Crusades opening up Europe, there was an introduction to a wider variety of fruits and vegetables.

The 13th century saw a rise in the concept of refined cooking for the nobles in their castles and villas. A far more conservative way of cooking took hold that elevated chefs and in turn food to newer heights of grandiosity. Even though still simple, the methods that were introduced changed Italian cooking