The staff of life

Wherever you may go in the world whatever the local customs, language, dress, or taste you will find some form of bread! Of course, there are almost as many varieties of bread as there are nations. Bread is made from rye and barley. There are countries that use beans, potatoes, and even acorns in the making of bread.

But bread as we usually think of it is made from cereal grains of various types. It is the most important single food to the largest number of people. Without bread it would be necessary for people to eat larger quantities of more expensive foods such as eggs, milk, and fruits to maintain their health. With bread, even the poorest peoples are able to sustain life. That’s why bread is called “the staff of life.”

In earliest times, man used to chew grain seeds to obtain the energy he knew they provided. More than 3,000 years before Christ, the Egyptians learned to crush the grain to flour between stones. They added water to form dough, shaped it into flat cakes, and baked it.