FOOD + DRINK
BAKING FEVER
Baking – we just can ’ t seem to get enough of it these days , and TV programmes such as The Great British Bake Off are feeding our addiction to all things cake , bread and pastry . Although it may feel like the baking craze is a reasonably new phenomenon , it has actually been around forever . Or very close to it .
It was in ancient Egypt that baking first began to take shape – in around 2600BC . Although some of the bread was certainly used for eating , much of it was made solely as a sacrifice to the gods , to ensure a good harvest for the coming year . In order to keep the gods happy , sweet cakes and treats were baked as well as bread . It was thought that something sweet would calm any wrathful god ’ s temper , and stop any hardship from befalling the people .
As time went on , and times got harder , the sweet bakes were considered frivolous and decadent – which is possibly why the Romans loved them so much . By 300BC , it was only the rich and powerful who ate sweet baked goods , and those who made such delicacies were revered .
The first pastry chefs emerged at this time who were known as the pastillarium , and they were in severe competition with one another . Whoever could make the biggest , most elaborate , and most delicious cakes was the best of the best , and was handsomely rewarded by Roman noblemen , and the emperor himself .
As with everything the Romans did , the art of baking soon spread throughout Europe and into Asia , and the idea that bread was the ideal sustenance and anything sweet or ‘ pretty ’ was for the upper classes continued .
In the Middle Ages in Britain it changed even more ; if you had money your bread would be made with the more expensive wheat bread . If you were poor , you had rye bread . It was much tougher to eat , and it certainly didn ’ t taste as good .
Pies were a big feature of the kitchen by this time , but it was a rare thing for a poor commoner to have enough meat to fill theirs . Being able to make good pastry , therefore , was essential . Bakeries sprang up ( it was far too expensive to have a fire working at home simply to cook on ) across the country . These bakers would use a cart to take their goods from door to door , selling as they went .
The 15th century saw some major changes in the baking world . With the explosion of spices and different fruits and ingredients that were being brought into the country by merchants , it became possible for the poorer people in society to buy much better tasting bread , and even to indulge in treats made with cream , butter , and fruit . Over the next one hundred years , pioneers in baking began to create recipes that we still use today , and if we could go back in time and see what they were making , we would certainly recognise the pies , buns , loaves and cakes that they created .
Since then there has been no going back . We are officially addicted to baked goods . And as for baking competitions , we ’ re not so much different to the Romans in that regard – after all , when it comes to The Great British Bake Off , whoever can make the biggest , most elaborate and most delicious creations is handsomely rewarded .
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