Episode Details

Join me as I uncover the unknown history of bread and how it has shaped our entire world. From its earliest existence 14,400 years ago, bread has played a major role in the formation of human civilizations. This week, we'll follow the path of bread from ancient Egypt, to ancient Rome, to medieval Europe, revolutionary France, and early America to discover how this universal food staple has become a symbol of success, accomplishment, and self-worth, making and breaking empires throughout history. 

Sources: 

• NPR "14,000 Year Old Piece of Bread Rewrites the History of Baking and Farming"
• Food Studies Institute "Celebrating the Story of Bread"
• National Library of Medicine "Archaeobotanical evidence reveals the origins of bread 14,400 years ago in northeastern Jordan"
• Smithsonian Magazine "Archaeologists Uncover Brutal 'Bakery-Prison' at Pompeii"
• Grants Bakery "Bread: The Most Important Thing in Human History"
• Technogym "Bread: the extraordinary fate of an ordinary food item"
• National Geographic "The Development of Agriculture"
• University of Nebraska "Sandwich Upgrades"
• Prospect Magazine "Flour power: why every revolution begins with a piece of bread"
• worldhistory.org "Flour War"
• Smithsonian Magazine "When Food Changed History: The French Revolution"
• Encyclopedia Virginia "Bread Riot, Richmond"
• CBS News "Egyptians Riot in the Streets in 1977"
• FRED Economic Data "Average Price: Bread, White, Pan (Cost per Pound/453.6 Grams) in U.S. City Average"

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