PLOWING
We stir up memories of the past less and less now And at the dinner table We don’t divide the bread, but simply cut it, Moreover, forgetting about the knife that is not sharp, We grumble that the bread is a little stale, And we ourselves, perhaps at this hour, are many times staleer than it. It is impossible to imagine the life of a modern person, who can prepare many different dishes for himself, without bread. Bread is the head of everything. How did our ancestors manage without bread? And when did they learn to bake it? Already in the Stone Age, people noticed that the grains of some plants are very filling, and, unlike fruits and mushrooms, they do not spoil for a long time. These plants are wild cereals: rye, wheat, barley. Tribes of primitive gatherers settled near fields of wild cereals. They cut off the mature ears of corn with stone sickles. Gradually, people invented various tools with which they cultivated the land, harvested grain, and ground flour. Preparing land for sowing is hard work. In ancient times, in most parts of Rus', powerful, impassable forests grew. The peasants had to uproot trees and free the soil from roots. Even flat areas near rivers were not easy to cultivate for sowing.
“The earth is compacted: it is never turned, it is dead, because there is no access to air, and plants cannot live without air... everyone needs air to breathe. To give life to the earth, you need to turn it outward, you need to open access to air, that is, break it up, crush it” (S. V. Maksimov). In order for the land to “come to life”, it was necessary to plow it, and more than once: first in the fall, then in the spring before sowing. In those ancient times they plowed plows or roe deer. These are simple tools that every peasant could make himself. Later the plow appeared, although it did not completely replace the plow. The peasant decided what to plow. It depended on the soil. The plow was more often used on heavy fertile soils. Unlike the plow, the plow not only cut the layer of earth, but also turned it over. After the field is plowed, it needs to be “combed.” They did this with the help of this tool: “A sieve with four corners, five heels, fifty rods, twenty-five arrows.” This is a harrow. Sometimes a spruce log with a large number of long knots was used as a harrow. A “modernized” harrow is a grid of four bars to which wooden or iron teeth are attached. When harrowing, all clods were broken and pebbles were removed. The soil became loose, ready for sowing. RIDDLES, PROVERBS AND SAYINGS Baba Yaga, with a pitchfork, feeds the whole world, she herself is hungry. (Sokha) Walks in the field from end to end, cutting a black loaf. (Plow) * * * • If you sow at the right time, you will reap a mountain of grain. • It’s better to go hungry and sow good seed. • Place manure thickly, so the barn will not be empty. • The owner of the earth is not the one who wanders through it, but the one who walks with a plow. • There is no time to lie down when it’s time to reap. • Aches in the back, but there is bread on the table.
History of bread in different countries
Egypt
The legend about yeast bread says that in Egypt they also baked flat cakes, since they didn’t know how to bake anything else. One of the slaves, who was supposed to bake the bread, for some reason left the kneaded dough in the sun. Accordingly, the workpiece soured a little in the heat. The slave was afraid that he would be punished and did not mention this incident. He decided to bake from this dough. The flatbreads came out browner, softer, and more fluffy. The baker was not punished, but on the contrary - his recipe soon became the main one for baking flatbreads for the whole country. This is how bread made from wheat and durra, known in Egypt, was born.
The history of bread knows examples of the use by other peoples (the Gauls and Iberians in the 1st century AD) as yeast, beer foam added to the dough. And in some countries, the leaven was bran soaked in wine.
Greece
In Greece, bread was not an addition, but a directly separate dish for the lower strata of the population: often breakfast or dinner consisted only of bread and wine diluted with water. But the strict rule of food intake forbade eating other dishes without bread. If a Greek ate food without flatbread, it was considered a grave sin. From these times, the Greek people began to eat food exclusively supplementing it with bread, even fruit.
Italy
In Rome, a 13-meter-high monument to the baker Marcus Virgilius Eurysaces, who lived 2 thousand years ago and was the founder of several large bakeries, has survived to this day. These bakeries provided bread to almost the entire population of Rome.
Türkiye
Such a concept as a guarantee for baked bread was introduced in the Ottoman Empire. In this state, everyone ate bread. The rich people supplemented their meals with it, but those who were poorer generally ate only it. When Istanbul was captured by Mehmed Fatih, Hazim Bey became the ruler of the city. He, in turn, took baking bread very seriously. In 1502, Sultan Bayezid invented and successfully implemented the first guarantee for bread. After this, they began to build the best bakeries in the world, where the best specialists in their field worked. The baker's profession has long been prestigious and respected in the country.
Byzantium
In Byzantium in the 10th century, in places where bread was baked, there was a special order that prohibited the involvement of bakers in any offenses against the state. In Byzantium, the abundance of types of bread and methods of preparing it speaks of the importance of this product.
There was a high-grade bread - silignitis , which was baked only for rich people from the highest grades of wheat. It was also used for communion in churches and given to the sick, because silignitis promoted digestion. Next came seidalitis , which was baked from lower quality flour. There were also middle grades of bread, and finally coarse bread for the poor. The soldiers and monks had their own bread - pexamas . It was quite tough as it was baked in the oven twice to evaporate all the moisture.
England
The British authorities also did not ignore bread. In the country, even the titles of Lords were interconnected with the cult of bread. Translated, “lord” means “food provider.” And given the fact that the main food product was bread, it is precisely its production that is referred to in the title. If you translate the word “lady”, it turns out that it means “kneading bread”. Accordingly, the Lord searched for the product, and the Lady prepared and shared this product. It is interesting that one of the most ancient units of measurement in England and not only was barley grain. For example, an inch in the Anglo-Saxon numeral system is equal to three grains of barley.
India
The history of bread in this country is associated with a tropical climate, scorching sun and overpopulation - these are factors in the main reason why food in India is simply unthinkable without bread.
Indian flatbreads can easily withstand heat, are very filling and can always be kept on hand. Specific flour is used to make bread. Whole wheat grains are ground to a dark yellow powder. This flour is called “atta” . The bread it produces is extraordinary - velvety, with a yellowish crumb and a crispy crust. The methods of preparing Indian bread are also interesting.
The national tandoor oven appeared in India more than 4 thousand years ago - a hole in the ground, coated with clay, at the bottom of which charcoals smolder. Naan is most often baked in it by gluing thin layers of dough directly onto the clay walls. Chapati flatbreads are fried in cast iron pans, and delicious puri are deep fried. Bread is not stored for future use; in a humid tropical climate this is unreasonable.
Tibet
The simplest flat Tibetan bread is baked from flour, water and a pinch of salt in large, heavy pans with or without oil.
The national dish, which is considered Tibetan bread, is called Tsampa. In its production it is used: flour from lightly roasted barley grains, cheese and yak milk. Tsampa is a staple part of the Tibetan diet. It is also used for ritual purposes, with pinches of tsampa thrown into the air during many Buddhist rituals.
The ritual of throwing tsampa appeared in pre-Buddhist times and served to pacify the spirits of the area and ask for their protection and protection. It was then adopted by Buddhism as a "symbol of celebration and joy" and was used at the birth of a child. Nowadays, it is especially known in connection with New Year celebrations, when tsampa is thrown while chanting prayers calling for good luck in the new year for oneself and for others.
History of bread. Switzerland
The oldest bread in Europe, found in 1976 in the town of Twann on Lake Biel, dates back to 3530 BC. Initially, there were no separate bakeries here. Bread was baked in each household for its own needs.
In the early Middle Ages, monasteries established their own flour mills and bakeries. For example, the bakery of the St. Gallen monastery was capable of baking up to 1000 loaves of bread at a time. Along with a large number of baked goods, there is an impressive wide range of bread products - yeast, unleavened, with flour additives and in various shapes.
With the development of cities and an increase in the need for bread, bakeries began to be created. The baker's guilds developed strict standards for monitoring the quality of bread at all stages of production and rules for operating bakery ovens.
France
In the Middle Ages in France, bread was baked only in monasteries. Loaves were heavy, baked mainly from barley and wholemeal rye flour, often with bran. This was bread for the poor. But wheat bread was considered a symbol of prosperity and was served at the table of the rich and nobility. There was a direct relationship between the degree of freshness of bread and social status.
The royal family ate freshly baked white bread. Yesterday was for the nobility. Two-day-baked bread was intended for the minor nobility. Monks and schoolchildren received three-day bread, while artisans ate bread baked four days ago.
A fixed price for bread has been established since the Middle Ages. High grain taxes coupled with regulated bread prices often forced bakers to sell below cost. In 1505, Henry IV abolished all grain taxes. For this he received the proud title - King of Bread .
History of bread in Rus'
Judging by archaeological excavations, historians claim that bread baking began to be actively carried out three thousand years ago, during the development of Tripoli . It was this culture that the ancient Slavs belonged to.
It is known that people living on the right bank of the territory of modern Ukraine actively grew grain crops. Excavations carried out in this area helped to discover clay vessels for storing grain, as well as large special storage facilities where the harvest was kept.
Excavations in the Urals also showed evidence of bread baking, as indicated by the found remains of clay ovens, prototypes of sickles for harvesting, and special grain grinders used by the ancient Slavs to grind grain.
In the Vologda region, evidence of bread baking was also found, as well as the domestication of wild grain crops such as rye and wheat.
Where was the bread baked?
In Rus', baking bread was considered a very important, serious and honorable occupation, and the quality of the bread produced was strictly controlled.
Already in the Middle Ages, the history of bread in Russia describes the existence of special bread quality control services, the functions of which were performed by grain bailiffs. They walked through bread shops, walked through markets, where they checked the quality of bread. If there were any violations, the bailiffs issued a fine to the offending bakers.
There were huts in Rus' where bread was baked, as well as real “palaces” in which bakers baked a lot of fragrant soft bread, which was bought by the entire district - special “Bread Houses”. They produced high-quality bread and only according to individual recipes. The recipe was kept secret and could only be passed on to the next generation. It has never happened that bread from different places of baking had the same taste.
Of course, bread was baked in any Russian home, by ordinary people. In addition to rye bread, many products from wheat flour were baked in Rus', ranging from monastery prosphoras to the famous kovrigi. Old Russian kovriga is a three- or four-cornered large bread. Wheat rolls, which were baked for the holidays, were also in demand.
By the way, it was in Rus' that black bread appeared. This product was cheaper, but in terms of nutrients it was superior to white bread.
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SEV
In Rus', the year began in the spring. The life of the peasant largely depended on sowing. A harvest year means a comfortable, well-fed life. In lean years they had to go hungry. Peasants carefully stored seeds for future sowing in a cool, dry place so that they would not germinate ahead of time. They checked more than once whether the seeds were good. The grains were placed in water - if they did not float up, but sank to the bottom, then they were good. The grains should also not be stale, that is, stored no more than one winter, so that they have enough strength to cope with weeds. In those days there were no weather forecasts, so the peasants relied on themselves and folk signs. We observed natural phenomena in order to start sowing on time. They claimed that if you listen more closely, you can hear the frog as if pronouncing: it’s time to sow. If the first water during river floods is high, spring sowing is early, but if not, it is late. Sowing day is one of the most important, but also the most solemn days in the agricultural year. That’s why the first sower went barefoot (his feet should have already been warm) into the field in a white or red (festive) shirt, with a basket of seeds hanging on his chest. He scattered the seeds evenly, with a “secret, silent prayer.” After sowing, the grain had to be harrowed.
In ancient times, peasants preferred rye: it is more reliable, resistant to cold and changing weather. Wheat bread tastes better, but there is more hassle with this grain. Wheat is capricious, heat-loving, and may not yield. And wheat also takes all the “strength” from the earth. The same field cannot be sown with wheat two years in a row. Peasants planted grain crops not only in spring, but also in autumn. Before the onset of severe cold, winter grains were sown. These plants had time to sprout and appear on the surface before winter. And when the foliage around them turned yellow, the winter shoots began to fade and fall off. If there were warm autumn days for a long time, then the peasants specially released their cattle onto the winter field. The animals ate the sprouts, and then the plant took root more actively. Now the peasants hoped for a snowy winter. Snow is a coat for plants. Tree branches and various objects were placed on the fields so that the snow would “cling” to them and remain on the fields. RIDDLES, PROVERBS, SAYINGS It turns green for two weeks, It starts to make ears for two weeks, It blooms for two weeks, It pours for two weeks, It dries up for two weeks. (Rye) * * * He rides into the field on his back, Across the field on his feet. (Harrow) * * * • Bread is father, water is mother. • Bread is on the table, so the table is a throne; and not a piece of bread - and the throne is a board. • Mosquitoes have appeared - it’s time to sow rye. • The frog croaks - the oats are jumping.
Light bread - Russian fairy tale
Details Category: Russian fairy tale
Page 1 of 2
Light bread
A mower was mowing the meadow. I got tired and sat down under a bush to rest. He took out the bag, untied it and began to chew the bread. A hungry wolf comes out of the forest. He sees a mower sitting under a bush and eating something.
The wolf approached him and asked: “What are you eating, man?” “Bread,” the mower answers. - Is it tasty? - And how delicious it is! - Let me taste it. - Well, try it. The mower broke off a piece of bread and gave it to the wolf. The wolf liked the bread. He says: “I would like to eat bread every day, but where can I get it?” Tell me, man! “Okay,” says the mower, “I’ll teach you where and how to get bread.” And he began to teach the wolf. - First of all, we need to plow the land... - Then there will be bread? - No, brother, wait. Then you need to harrow the ground... - And can you eat bread? - The wolf waved his tail. - What are you saying, wait a minute. First you need to sow rye... - Then there will be bread? - the wolf licked his lips. - Not yet. Wait until the rye sprouts, survives the cold winter, grows in the spring, blooms a lot, then begins to spike, then ripen...
“Oh,” the wolf sighed, “however, we have to wait a long time!” But then I’ll eat plenty of bread!.. - Where can you eat! - the mower interrupted him. - It's too early. First you need to squeeze the ripe rye, then tie it into sheaves, put the sheaves in heaps. The wind will blow them away, the sun will dry them, then take them to the current... - And will I eat bread? - Eh, so impatient! First you need to thresh the sheaves, pour the grain into bags, take the bags to the mill and grind the flour... - That's all? - No, not everything. You need to knead the flour in the bowl and wait for the dough to rise. Then place it in a hot oven. - And will the bread be baked? - Yes, the bread will be baked. “That’s when you’ll eat it,” the mower finished his lesson. The wolf thought for a moment, scratched the back of his head with his paw and said: “No!” This work is painfully long and hard. Better advise me, man, how to get food easier. “Well,” says the mower, “if you don’t want to eat heavy bread, eat light bread.” Go to the pasture, the horse is grazing there. A wolf came to the pasture. I saw a horse. - Horse, horse! I will eat you. “Well,” says the horse, “eat.” Just take the horseshoes off my feet first, so as not to break your teeth on them. “And that’s true,” the wolf agreed. He bent down to take off the horseshoes, and the horse hit him in the teeth with its hoof... The wolf somersaulted and ran.
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BREAD IS GROWING
From the moment a grain hits the ground, it strives to get out. “The earth feeds the winter, the sky waters with rain, the sun warms with warmth, and summer, know, grows bread.” The sun shines, warms the earth and gives warmth to the grain. In the warmth, the grain begins to germinate. But not only does the grain need warmth, it also needs to “drink and eat.” Mother earth can feed the grain. It contains all the necessary nutrients for the growth of grains. In order for the grains to grow faster, the harvest to be larger, the land was fertilized. Fertilizers in those days were natural. The land was fertilized with manure, which accumulated over the year from raising livestock. Urine, urine, rain, On our rye; For grandma's wheat, for grandpa's barley, water all day long. This is how they called for rain. Without rain, bread will not grow. But there should be rain in moderation. If it rained too often and interfered with the ripening of the crop, then the children uttered another call: Rainbow-arc, Stop the rain, Bring on the sun. The sun gives plants not only warmth, but also light. The first leaves sprout vertically upward, but the subsequent ones grow in the opposite direction and then give roots, and from one grain a whole bush is obtained. In the old days, June was also called grain harvest. The peasants even counted how many warm, bright days were needed for the grains to ripen: “Then, in 137 warm days, winter rye ripens and at the same number of degrees of heat, winter wheat ripens, but ripens more slowly, not earlier than 149 days.” “The blue and the bell ring, and that’s the end of the bread.” Who are these evil “sinets and bells” and what are they armed with, how can they destroy bread? These are plants that appear on the grain field on their own, although no one planted them there, and begin to take away nutrients from the grain - weeds.
Grain production cannot be achieved without the help of peasants. The peasants “armed themselves” with various devices and fought with weeds – “sedge, various mints, brooms or brooms and bonfire grass.” We had to work hard, but it was not always possible to defeat the weeds. For example, if wheatgrass appears in a field, it is very difficult to remove it. It is necessary to collect all the pieces of wheatgrass roots, otherwise a new wheatgrass may grow from a small piece. Vole mice caused great damage to grain fields, nesting in the rye and eating up the roots. A real disaster for cereals was the locust, swarms of which could leave nothing at all of the plants. Birds - sparrows and especially corncrakes - helped the peasants fight insects. RIDDLE One pours, another drinks, the third turns green and grows. (Rain, earth, bread)
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A fairy tale about BREAD for children
Content
An instructive Belarusian folk tale about bread for children, “Light Bread,” was translated for us by the Russian poetess and translator Elena Aleksandrovna Blaginina.
Read with pleasure and benefit!
"Light bread"
A man was mowing the grass in the meadow. He got tired and sat down under a bush to rest. He took out the bundle, untied it and began to eat. A hungry wolf comes out of the forest. He sees a man sitting under a bush and eating something. A wolf approached him and asked: “What are you eating?” “Bread,” the man answers. - Is it tasty? — Passion is so delicious! - Let me try. - Welcome! The man broke off a piece of bread and gave it to the wolf. The wolf liked the bread. He says: “I would like to eat bread every day, but where can I get it?” Please advise! “Okay,” says the man, “I’ll teach you where and how to get bread.” And he began to teach the wolf: “First of all, you need to plow the land...” “Then there will be bread?” - No, brother, wait. Then you need to harrow the land...
- And can I eat bread? — the wolf was delighted and waved his tail. - Look how fast you are! First you need to sow rye... - Then there will be bread? - the wolf licked his lips. - Not yet! Wait until the rye sprouts, survives the cold winter, grows in the spring, then starts to spike, then the grain begins to fill, then ripen... - Oh, - the wolf sighed, - it’s too long to wait! Well, when the grain ripens, then will I eat plenty of bread? - Where can you eat? - says the man. - It’s still early! First, ripe rye must be compressed, then tied into sheaves, and then the sheaves must be placed in the rump. The wind will blow them away, the sun will dry them, then take them to the current. - And will I eat bread? - How impatient! The first thing is to thresh the sheaves, collect the grain in bags, take the bags to the mill and grind the flour... - That's all? - No, not everything. You need to knead the dough from flour and wait for the dough to rise. Then put it in a hot oven. — Will the bread be baked? - Yeah, it'll be baked. Then you’ll eat to your heart’s content,” the man finished. The wolf thought, scratched the back of his head and said: “No!” This work is not for me - it’s long, troublesome, and difficult. You better advise how to get easy bread. “Well,” says the man, “if you don’t want to eat difficult bread, eat light bread.” Go to the pasture, the horse is grazing there. The wolf went to the pasture. I saw a horse: “Horse, horse, I’ll eat you!” “Well,” says the horse, “eat.” Just first take the horseshoes off my feet so as not to break my teeth on them. “And that’s true,” the wolf agreed. He bent down to tear off the horseshoes, and the horse kicked him with its hoof! The wolf somersaulted and let's go. He ran to the river. He sees geese grazing on the shore. “Should I eat them?” - the wolf thinks. Then he says: “Geese, geese, I’ll eat you!” “Well,” the geese answer, “eat.” Just do us a favor first. - Which one? - asks the wolf. - Sing us a song and we will listen. - It's possible! I am a master at singing songs. The wolf sat down on a hummock, raised his head and began to howl. And the geese - fluttering their wings - took off from their place and flew away. The wolf got down from the hummock, looked after them and went on with nothing. He walks and scolds himself: “Well, I’m not a fool, am I? And why did I start singing to the geese! Well, now I’ll eat whoever I meet!” Just when he thought so, he looked and saw an old grandfather wandering along the road. Wolf - to him: - Grandfather, grandfather, I will eat you! - What's the hurry? - says the grandfather. - Let's smell the tobacco first. - Is it tasty? - Try it, you’ll know. - Let's! The grandfather took the snuff box out of his pocket, sniffed it himself and gave it to the wolf. The wolf sniffed with all his might and sniffed all the tobacco and inhaled. And then let’s sneeze all over the forest... He can’t see anything because of his tears, he keeps sneezing. I sneezed for more than an hour while I rested. I looked around, and there was no trace of my grandfather. The wolf moved on. He walked and walked and looked at the sheep grazing in the meadow and the shepherd sleeping. The wolf spotted the largest lamb, grabbed it and said: “Sheep, ram, I’ll eat you!” “Well,” says the ram, “apparently this is my lot.” Stand in that hollow and open your mouth wider. And I’ll run up the hill, accelerate and jump into your mouth myself. “Thank you for the advice,” said the wolf, “we’ll do that.” He stood in the hollow, opened his mouth, and waited. And the ram ran up the hill, sped up and fucked the wolf with its horns! Sparks began to fall from his eyes... The wolf came to his senses, shook his head and said: “I don’t understand: did I eat it or not?” And at this time that same peasant was returning home from mowing. He heard Volkov’s words and said: “You didn’t eat it, but you tasted light bread.”
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