Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a passion for baking. In elementary school, I recall spending days with my grandparents filled with tea parties complete with costumes, dancing, and homemade decorative cookies fresh from the oven. As an educator, I’ve had amazing opportunities to travel abroad and learn to appreciate food through cultural customs and traditions. With a change in diet due to the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease, my husband and I have chosen to eat primarily clean with most everything we eat being homemade. These life experiences have led me to this journey of wanting to discover the world through baking. It is through baking from scratch where I can control the ingredients in our food and learn to appreciate the history and culture of baked goods from around the world .
About a year ago while reading a novel, I discovered the word “hardtack”, a wafer eaten by characters in the book. With an interest in baking, I decided to check it out. In my search, I found that “hardtack” is basically a hard cracker made from flour and water. With a lack of moisture, “hardtack” traveled well and was often eaten by soldiers during wartime. This discovery caused me to pause and think about how every culture has a staple “bread” based on local ingredients and tastes. I began a basic search as to what types of “bread” are specific to different countries, i.e. tortillas to Mexico, baguettes to France, etc. This realization turned into a desire to bake these “breads” to learn more about history and culture to see how we are all connected through food.
Here’s where my blogging journey begins. The goal is to bake a traditional “bread” from each country every weekend along with a traditional dish to accompany it. During my research, I’ve discovered there are many options, so I might spend a couple of weekends (maybe at different times) on one country to better understand the culture and ingredients. I plan to blog the experiences, post pictures of the process, and describe what I’ve learned. I will also include the history of the “bread” and dish in hopes to encourage others to venture out and discover the world through food in their own kitchens. Selected recipes will include ingredients located in local grocery stores or will include appropriate substitutions.
Please join me on this journey and feel free to comment with your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. For me, this blog is to share new experiences, to learn about and appreciate others while encouraging adventure through food.