History of Baking Essay Example

use of hollowed out stones where grains is pounded with a round stone.

Later Egyptians shaped this stones into bigger mortar-pestle like structure. The Greeks in 600 BC invented the hourglass, a device composed of a bin or hopper where grain was poured and two stones moved against each other and ground the grain into powder. Animals and man provided the power to move it. The Romans in 100 BC also used the hourglass but instead of animals and men, the utilized wild and water to move it. Baking has become a major part of the household activities to supply bread.

Between 300 and 200 BC, It turned into a trade when free men in Greece began establishing pubic bakeries; the baking industry was later absorbed by the Romans after they conquered Greece. White flour used then was almost similar to our flour today, and the quality of bread was comparable to that of bread today. Baking however, became a forgotten occupation with the invasion of the Huns in the Northern Europe which marked the onset of the Dark Ages. Later the Crusader was able to drive the Moslem Back to Asia, and commerce began to flourish again.

Farmers were encouraged to grow grains and baking became an honoured profession. Baker’s guild was organized. The baking industry was brought to America with the Jamestown colonists. Commercial bakers were already in operation as early as the 1600’s. Toward the middle of 19th century, facilities and baked products saw improvements bigger and more efficient ovens were built. Products like breads, cakes, pies, biscuits, cookies and crackers became commercially available. The import and export of

wheat encourage the growth of the industry.