BREAD THE WORLD OVER.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 281, 30 April 1898, Page 1 (Supplement)

BREAD THE WORLD OVER.

♦ Tt is a curious and interesting study to compare the various materials which serve the different nations of the world as the basis of their bread. In this country where good bread, made from spring and fall wheat flour, is witbin the reach of all, the inhabitants of cnly a small portion of the earth's surface enjoy such a food. In the remoter parts of Sweden the poor people make and bake their rye bread twice a year, and store the loaves away, so that eventually they are as hard as bricks. Further north still bread is made from barley and oats. In Lapland, oat«, with the inner bark of the pine, are used. The two together, well ground and mixed, are made into large flat cakes cooked in a pan over the fire. In drearv Kamichatka, pine or birch park by itself well macerated, pounded and baked frequently constitutes the whole of the native bread food. The Icelander scrapes the " Iceland moss " off the rocks and grinds it into fine flour, which serves both for bread and pudding*. In some parts of Siberia, China, and other Eastern countries, a fairly palatable bread is made from buckwheat. In parts of Italy chestnuts are cooked, ground into meal and used for making bread. Durra, a A'driety of the millet, is much used in the countries of India, Fgypt, Arabia, and Asia Miuor ot making bread. Rice bread is the staple food of the Chinese, Japanese, and a large portion of the inhabitants of India. In Petsia the bread is made from rice flour and milk ; it is called " Lawash." The Persian oven is built in the ground about tlw sides of a barrel. The sides are smooth ma»on work. The fire is built at the bottom aud kept burning until the wall or sides of the oven are thoroughly heated. Enough dough to form a sheet about ono foot wide and about two feet long is thrown on the bench, and rolled until about as thin as sole leather, then it is taken up and tossed and rolled from one arm to the other and flung on a board and Blapped on the side of the oven. It takes only a few moments to bake, and when baked, it is spread out to cool. This bread is cheap (one cent a sheet); it is sweet and nourishing. A specimen of the "hunger bread "from Armenia is made of clover seed, flax, or linseed meal, mixed with edible grasp. In tho Molucca island the starchy pith of the sago palm furnishes a white, floury meal. This is made up into flit, oblonjr loaves, which are baked in curious little ovens, each oven being divided into oblong cells to receive tho loaves. Bread is also made of rootH in some parts of Africa, and South America. It is made from manioc tubers. These roots are a deadly poison if eaten in the law state, but make a good food if properly prepared. To prepare it for bread, the roots are soaked for several days in water, thus washing oat the poison ; tie fibres are picked out, dried, and ground into fLur. This is mixed with milk, if obtainable, if not water is used. The dough is formed into little round loaves, and baked in hot ashes ir dried in the eun.—Sanitary Record.