Product Description

Give us this day our daily bread. From ancient Egypt to modern times, bread has been essential, for survival, if nothing more. H.E. Jacob takes readers through the history of this staple, examining its role in politics, religion and technology, while answering such questions as how bread caused Napoleons defeat. The fascinating voyage begins with The Bread of Prehistoric Man and continues with an exploration of the plow, the discovery of baking, the Grecian passion for seed corn and reverence for the bread goddess Demeter, the significance of the Bibles many references to bread and how bread contributed to the outcome of World War I. In a poignant conclusion, Jacob describes his own experiences subsisting on bread made of sawdust in a Nazi concentration camp. A fascinating and intriguing insight into the food of life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #180471 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Synopsis
Give us this day our daily bread. From ancient Egypt to modern times, bread has been essential, for survival, if nothing more. H.E. Jacob takes readers through the history of this staple, examining its role in politics, religion and technology, while answering such questions as how bread caused Napoleon's defeat. The fascinating voyage begins with "The Bread of Prehistoric Man" and continues with an exploration of the plow, the discovery of baking, the Grecian passion for seed corn and reverence for the bread goddess Demeter, the significance of the Bible's many references to bread and how bread contributed to the outcome of World War I. In a poignant conclusion, Jacob describes his own experiences subsisting on bread made of sawdust in a Nazi concentration camp. This is a fascinating and intriguing insight into the food of life.

Customer Reviews

A refreshingly old perspective
This book highlights the connections between religion, science, and the most basic of foods in ways I never realized. The rich history of bread detailed here gives me new insights into my career as a baker. Great reading for professionals and food history lovers!

A fascinating way to view the history of the western world
I bumped into Jacobs' book by accident while browsing the shelves in a library; what a joy to see it's been reissued! (The edition I found was dated 1943.) I have learned so much interesting history from this book; the Temple of Eleusis and its similarities to the life of Christ; the invention of the windmill; why the village hated the miller and Chaucer's Miller's Tale; on and on, there are fascinating things in each new thread he picks up.

A dangerous book to read!
This book gives a rollercoaster ride through the role of bread in history. Each chapter is enough to make you buy ten more books on the subject. Thoroughly enjoyable. Avoid it at all costs. Justin McAteer