Oct. 15: The staff of life

By Jeff Cheek

For most of us, bread means a loaf made from wheat.

More of the earth's arable land, 570,000,000 acres, is devoted to wheat than any other food crop. In the U.S. approximately a quarter of our daily calorie intake is from bread. It is higher in Europe, especially Russia, where the average daily consumption of bread is over a pound per day per capita.

Eating wheat is as old as Mankind. Anthropologists believe cave men chewed dry grains long before they learned to bake it into bread. The earliest written records go back to China in 2,700 B.C. Emperor Shen Nun; ordered his clerks to classify plants for both food and medical value. The list they submitted contained "five principal and sacred crops." They were barley, millet, soybeans, rice and wheat. The Emperor would be pleased to learn that China is now the number one wheat producer in the world.

Wheat bread has been baked in Egypt for at least 4000 years. In 1883, French historian Alphonse de Candolle published a study of food crops in Egypt in 2,000 B.C. Wheat was included. The Egyptians made one great contribution to culinary art: They were the first to use yeast in baking. The Greek historian Terodotus (484-425 B.C.) had a complaint about Egyptian bakers. "They knead clay for pottery with their hands, but they knead their bread with their feet," he wrote.

In 600 B.C., Greece was the birthplace of the first public bakeries. Each baker was required to imprint his symbol on each loaf he produced. This early trade mark insured quality.

Since bread is such an essential part of our diet, many laws have been passed to regulate production. A Royal Decree in England, 1266, stipulated that only royalty could eat white bread; the aristocracy was allowed whole wheat, while the peasants ate wheat bran or barley bread. This injustice had an unknown but valuable side effect. Wheat bran is rich in Vitamin E and the 13 complex vitamins: thiamine, niacin, and riboflavin, which are missing in white bread.

Wheat was widespread in Europe and Asia but unknown in the New World until 1494 when Columbus brought colonists to the Caribbean. Wheat did not thrive in the tropical climate. Corn was the principal food grain in America. In general, wheat grows best in a temperate climate with an average rainfall of 12 to 16 inches.

The Pilgrims tried to grow wheat and barley in 1621 but prudently also planted corn. The wheat and barley crops failed but the corn crop provided a plentiful supply of grain for the coming winter. The English colony at Jamestown, Va. was more successful. That same year they harvested a bumper crop of wheat and built the first mill in America to grind it into flour.

Wheat usually becomes flour for bread, cakes, and cookies but the Turks use it for a unique dessert. An old friend, Dr. Julian Jones, taught in Turkey for many years and sent me this recipe for Turkish Shredded Wheat Cake.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups crushed shredded wheat

1 cup crushed walnuts

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup whipping cream

20 fresh strawberries

1 cup water

PREPARATION:

Butter 9 inch square cake pan, make a layer of one cup shredded wheat, then layer of walnuts, and second layer of shredded wheat, they layer of walnuts, and second layer of shredded wheat. Pour in melted butter evenly, bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 23-25 minutes. Mix sugar, water and lemon juice. Boil, uncovered for 10 minutes. Pour liquid over wheat cake. Cool. Beat teaspoon sugar with whipping cream, spread over cake. Top with fresh strawberry halves. Cut into squares and serve.

Jeff Cheek lives in Medford