Culture Popularity

The cultural practices, values, and preferences of people differ from one community to another. Apart from just values and norms, the culture of communities can also be identified from the types of foods that they eat. Due to the uniqueness of the types of food prepared by people from different cultural backgrounds, food qualifies to be a good example of a cultural artifact. Food is tied to cultural identity because whatever we eat is often highly related to our cultural heritage. Some foods are popular and have even crossed beyond their cultural borders while others are not. One of the most popular foods in the world is bread. Like any other type of food, bread originated from a single cultural community but later managed to spread across various cultural communities.

Bread first originated in Egypt over 10,000 years ago (Zegrahm, 2020). Initially, it was referred to as the unleavened bread and was made from barley and handmade yeast (Pasqualone, 2018). In Egypt, unleavened bread meant more than just food but a cultural presentation of their Christian religious background. However, a few years later, many travelers who visited Egypt learned how to make bread and spread the art to their regions, and soon this art of making bread managed to quickly spread across various cultures. Currently, bread is among the most common foods that are consumed all over the world. It is mainly considered a good form of breakfast as it is very rich in carbohydrates. With the first invention being among the Egyptian community, the preparation of bread managed to spread among other agricultural and the hunters and gatherers communities and soon it spread throughout the world (Fntozzi, 2018).

This cross-cultural food was easily accepted by other cultural societies because of its high nutritious value, easy preparation, and low cost of production. The spread of agriculture in different cultural regions within the world also facilitated the spread of bread production because the cereals used in bread preparation were readily available to the people. Despite bread having an origin associated with Egyptians, different cultures around the world have come up with different inventions for preparing their version of bread while using a variety of ingredients that they prefer (Pasqualone, 2018). For instance; some cultural communities add various flavors such as fruits and colors to suit their cultural preferences like the Indian version of bread, commonly referred to as roti which is prepared per Indian culture and is. Currently, bread is not only made from wheat but also from other types of grains such as rice.

Although bread is already a popular food across different cultures, it still has a high possibility of remaining popular over the next few decades because its production has been undergoing continuous developments that make it more appealing and nutritious. Currently, bread is the most valued breakfast item in most households across various cultural boundaries. Furthermore, bread still serves religious purposes to date because most Christian communities use it in their religious events. The cross-cultural popularity of bread has made bread to become more of a global food than food for a specific cultural community (Fantozzi, 2018). The popularity of bread across different cultures in the world shows that the ability of a food item to become highly popular across other cultures depends on the acceptance rate, availability of the raw materials for production, and the nutritious value of that particular food.

Concerns

Some of the concerns that I have about my story is that I would like to know some of your ideas about the future of bread in the cross-cultural society that is whether or not it is likely to survive into the next few decades. A question that I would like you to focus on while replying to my story is that; are there any other possible reasons as to why bread managed to easily spread across different cultures?

Spread of the culture.

Evidence gathered by archaeologists shows that bread has been a staple food for humanity for a period of over 30,000 years. This is because wheat and barley became the first plants to be domesticated by humans. Ever since then, bread has never left our dining tables. Bread spread from one of the earliest civilizations, Mesopotamia, and found its way to the rest of the world (Pasqualone, 2018).

The invention of the free-standing oven was an important tool that made bread popular. Ancient Greece invented this tool that quickly spread across the board. By around the fifth century, bread was made in bakeries and homes in Rome following the introduction of the free-standing oven around the 2nd century BC (Fantozzi, 2018).

Over the next hundreds of years, nations all over the world built up their own forms of bread—some raised, others not. Romans developed water processing around 450 BC, and they took bread to what was viewed as a work of art (Fantozzi, 2018). Curiously, the rich class of Romans thought about more white bread as higher caliber and more fit for the rich educated.

In recent times, we’ve seen bread evolving up until the 20th century when it became lighter and even lasted longer. The addition of chemicals too came around this time, although most governments these days advocate for the addition of minerals and vitamins. Over the few past years, we have seen bread growing such that a recent study shows that over 70 percent of the household take it regularly (Pasqualone, 2018).

Reception of the culture.

Different cultures around the world have received bread differently. Some positively and others negatively. The negative side of it is not rampant though since it depends on individual tastes and preferences. For instance, bread found its way to the world as early as 4000 B.C. in different cultures starting in Egypt. Ever since then, the world has fallen in love with this type of food (Fantozzi, 2018).

The largest consumer of bread in Europe for instance, falls in Germany. Research has shown that in Germany alone, there are over 1300 bread varieties. They have the largest bread consumption per capita which stands at 84 kilos per year. Most of the cultures use bread as a way of welcoming guests. In other words, it represents hospitality (Fantozzi, 2018).

However, still in Europe, France has experienced the biggest decline in consumption of this food. For instance, a century ago their per capita consumption stood at 3 loaves per day which declined to a loaf a day in the 1970’s. Today, their consumptions stand at half a loaf a day. This huge decline was associated with them believing that it was associated with gluten. Others complained of it not being quality and thus the decline. However, bread producers opted to increase its awareness by hitting the mainstream with campaigns (Pasqualone, 2018). The most common model is ‘Hey there, have you picked up bread today?’ This type of campaign model is expected to bring back the old days’ consumption.

In Latin America, the most common type of bread is the many flour flatbread. Chile tops the region's bread consumption, coming in second worldwide. They have different methods of baking it depending on their diverse cuisines. On the other hand, Mexico has a specific type of bread that is popular. Known as pan dulce which in Spanish means sweet bread. Traditionally, it is consumed in the evenings accompanied by a hot drink, often like their traditional hot chocolate (Fantozzi, 2018).

On the negative side though, bread reception has been faced with rejection in the U.S. for instance. Some claim that it is as unhealthy, the reason being that most consider whole grain being unrefined and white bread being unhealthy when fully processed. A movement in the US that emerged in the 1920s advocated for boycotting bread spreading confusion on fear of starch. Bread sales have been on the decline since then with the most significant one being a -11.3 percent between the periods of 2008-2013 (Pasqualone, 2018).

Future of the culture.

For us to look at the future of this food, reflecting on the past is crucial. Consumer behavior of this commodity is vividly predictable in that we can easily think and predict what they want. In recent times we have seen a rise in demand for much healthier foods. Most people prefer a much simpler rich-in-nutrient food. This has led to the consumer becoming more Enlighted about the ingredients (Fantozzi, 2018). Consumers in this age want to know what is in the food they are eating. We have also recognized the role that whole grain plays in a healthy diet. With this discovery, bread baking has shifted to the production of a more whole-grain meal.

Research has proved that almost 80 percent of consumers will go for whole-grain bread. This has led to nearly a third of consumers picking this type of bread on the shelves. Bakers now have a role in ensuring that this kind of bread never misses the market. In this regard too, they have opted to produce minimal of the other types of bread because they have to cater for the remaining 20 percent of consumers who don’t care about the whole grain narration (Pasqualone, 2018).

Another looming trend that is slowly crawling in is the vegan type of consumer. As witnessed in the US, plant-based commodities have been on the rise, recording a five-time growth rate over the total foods. Thus, there is an urge to produce an alternative that does not include cheese and milk (Fantozzi, 2018). Brands that produce food and beverages have been taking advantage of this development, and thus, bakers, too, should not be left behind.

Conclusion

Looking at the trends of bread it is important to note that it is such an important food. Arguably, almost every person on this planet has tasted it. Most households take it daily. As pointed above the percentage of bread consumers stands at 70. This makes it one of the most sought-after foods in the world (Zegrahm, 2020).

The health benefits of bread cannot be ignored. It contains all that a body needs to function if properly prepared. A good advantage is that in most parts of the world, bread is affordable and easily accessible. Looking at the facts, our ancestors survived on it and so should we. The best part of it is that it is a meal by itself and can be enjoyed at any time, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner (Zegrahm, 2020).

References

Fantozzi, J. (2018). Who invented bread? Live Science. Retrieved 14 November 2020, from https://www.livescience.com/62536-who-invented-bread.html

Pasqualone, A. (2018). Traditional flatbreads spread from the Fertile Crescent: Production process and history of baking system. Journal Of Ethics And Food, 5(1), doi: 10.1016/j.jef.2018.02.002

Zegrahm. (2020). Most Popular food in the world. Retrieved 14 November 2020, from https://www.zegrahm.com/blog/most-popular-food-world