10 TYPES OF EUROPEAN BREADS
Sure, you know Germany has pretzels and France has baguettes, but do you know how these carby delights came to be?
Chris Ciolli
Good bread is pretty much a given around Europe. Bakeries continue to be pretty commonplace in small villages and large metropolises alike, and many folks still eat bread daily. From France’s long, crusty loaves to Northern Europe’s dense, dark rye, local, high-quality loaves of bread are on offer everywhere on the continent. But what should you sample where and why? Here are ten typical European loaves of bread to try and the local legends that explain their origins.
1. Zopf (pictured above)
Switzerland
Intricately braided, this slightly sweet bread made from white flour, milk, eggs, butter, and yeast is a favorite among locals for Sunday morning breakfast. But legend links the loaf to the evolution of a different sort of mourning. In this part of the world, women went from being buried with their husbands in ancient times to cutting off their hair’s braid to throw on the grave, to later still baking a loaf of bread to be buried as a substitute. Whether or not we believe in the legend, the bread itself has been around since 1430. Today it is still popular as a token of love, appreciation, or thanks.
Cottage loaf. Photo by Eljay/Flickr.
2. Cottage loaf
England
To create this oddly shaped bread, which doesn’t look much like a house or cottage, bakers mash two round dough balls together. Theories abound, but most bakers agree it was probably a space-saving effort in old-fashioned bread ovens, even though the bread didn’t appear by name in writing until the mid 19th century. Unfortunately, because of the difficulty of making it (and perhaps selling it, as it’s not precisely a shape that lends itself to slicing for sandwiches), the bread isn’t as easy to spot in bakeries as it once was.
Ruisreikäleipä, or Finnish hole bread. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
3. Ruisreikäleipä
Finland
This mildly bitter rye and oat loaf have a small hole in the middle that might catch you by surprise. But there’s a practical purpose behind its shape. After the dough rises the first time, the hole is punched through so the baked loaves can be threaded onto long poles hung across the kitchen ceiling to air dry and kept the bread safe from pests and dry during the long, cold winter.
Tiger bread. Photo by Sprogz/Flickr.
4. Tijgerbrood
The Netherlands
Sold commercially in the Netherlands since the 1970s, Dutch “tiger bread” is speculated to have its roots at the beginning of its trade with Southeast Asia. Sold as “Dutch crunch” in some areas of the United States, the bread was more recently rebaptized “giraffe bread” in the United Kingdom after a little girl complained to supermarket chain Sainsbury’s that the splotchy crust looked more like a giraffe’s coat than a tiger’s. Soft white bread with a cracked crunchy crust made from a coating of sesame oil and rice flour on top makes a tasty breakfast.
Pan Gallego. Photo by Tamorlan via Wikimedia Commons.
5. Pan gallego
Spain
Spanish people in the region of Galicia first baked this bread. Legend has it that one of the foodstuffs locals gave to pilgrims traveling St. James’s Way to keep them from going hungry on Santiago de Compostela’s long journey. So it’s an ideal choice for people on a long trip. In addition, the 500-year-old recipe for Galician bread produces loaves that stay fresh for up to a month because of their slow fermentation and lower salt content.
Pretzels. Photo from Pixabay.
6. Pretzels
Germany
The original pretzel, called brezel with a “b” in German, is thought to have been invented by monks in the Middle Ages, possibly as a prize for children for learning their prayers. But the German story is a juicier tale of imprisoned bakers who came up with the unconventional shape before they were set free. And perhaps that’s why the twisty strip of lye-treated dough has been the bakers’ emblem since the 12th century in southern Germany. Of course, it certainly didn’t hurt that they were made with bread and water (no eggs or dairy) and a good snack during Lent. And come Easter Sunday, the salty bread hid eggs for children to find.
Hverabrauð. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
7. Hverabrauð
Iceland
A rye loaf cooked for 24 hours in the steam from a geyser, a bread called hverabrauð or rúgbrauð, is virtually crustless and moist with a very dense, dark crumb. While many locals opt for baking their rye bread in an oven these days, before the advent of ovens and cooktops, burying a box of bread dough by a hot spring or a geyser was the easy option. But beware of taking seconds and thirds. The Icelandic staple is rumored to make people gassy and even has a nickname to match—brumari, Icelandic for thunder bread. Unfortunately, today, this bread made the old-fashioned way is hard to find. So instead, for bread piping hot from the ground, head to Laugarvatn Fontana for a tasting and a tour of its geothermal bakery.
Focaccia. Photo from Pixabay.
8. Focaccia
Italy
While thought to have evolved from an ancient Etruscan (before the Roman Empire) flatbread, focaccia that’s popular around the world today is most similar to traditional recipes from Liguria in northwestern Italy. Here the bread is simple, seasoned with olive oil and salt, and the most like the bread eaten in Roman times, although sometimes herbs, onion, or cheese are added. Traditional recipes for this quick bread involve slicing knives through any bubbles that may arise and poking further wells into the dough in a dotting process to help the bread soak up the oil used to keep it moist.
Baguettes. Photo from Pixabay.
9. Baguette
France
Although no bread was technically recorded as being called a baguette (French for wand or stick) before 1920, long loaves of crusty wheat bread have been typical in France since the era of Louis XIV. The modern long-skinny variation has become popular because of a 1920 law forbidding bakers to work between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Therefore, slender loaves were the best choice for a faster bake with less time to prepare the bread before the morning rush.
Bannock. Photo by Breville USA/Flickr.
10. Bannock
Scotland
Historically these loaves were heavy and unleavened, barley or oatmeal, and cooked over a stone griddle in a fire, often used in rituals to celebrate the seasons’ changing. They may have even played a part in deciding potential victims’ fates during human sacrifices during the late Iron Age. Fortunately for everyone, ritual human sacrifice is no longer widespread in Scotland, and current versions of the much more palatable bread use baking powder or soda to lighten it up.
This post originally appeared on Afar and was published on February 13, 2018. This article is republished here with permission.
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