World Eats Bread

 

There is a new National Geographic documentary series on Disney+ called World Eats Bread and we have really enjoyed the first two episodes. We went to San Francisco to get a sense of the artisanal bread scene there and it appears to be diverse and wonderful. 

We moved on to the city of Istanbul where bread is vital to Turkish society. Fresh bread is an expectation by everywhere, even for those who eat the millions of loaves baked daily in state factories with subsidized prices. Of course, through the millenia leaders have witnessed societal turmoil and even revolutino when there isn't enough bread to eat, so the Erdogan regime is on to something. This is real bread, not the dreck masquarading as such in North American stores. It's estimated that 100 million loaves are baked daily in Turkey or Turkiye. 

Bread is described as a national obsession in Turkiye, feeding body and soul.  We really paid attention when the narration mentioned the importance of bread in Judaism and Christianity before addressing the spiritual meaning in Islam. Certainly Jesus is the self-described Bread of Life but Islam jn this nation has its own commitment to sharing bread as a spiritual practice.  During Ramadan, the Muslim period of fasting, the evening Iftar meal always includes a special form of bread called Pide. While all Pide includes fundamentally the same ingredients every baker has his/her unique shapes and designs and recipes. 

There is also a Ramadan program of buying two loaves and hanging one outside the bakery for any passerby with a need for sustenance.  It is known as Askıda ekmek, which means “bread on a hanger” or “suspended bread” and is an ancient tradition of what we might describe as "paying it forward". I knew nothing about this aspect of Islam in Turkey and there is a wonderful aroma around this focus on sharing. 

I'm getting hungry just thinking about this episode but fortunately I am married to an excellent baker who has been creating communion bread for congregations through the decades and for our household. 

Next stop in the series, Guatemala and tortillas!