The Rise and Fall of Sourdough: 6,000 Years of Bread - Professor Eric Pallant

The lecture will cover the history of the western world as seen through the food that nourished builders for the Great Pyramids, free men of the Roman Empire, the expansion of Christianity, and the development of Europe until modern science and technology replaced complex ecosystems of sourdough cultures with monocultures of fast, commercial, and comparatively tasteless yeast.

[arnoldchristian]

Yo I’m high af right now and this is legit so interesting

[skiddburns]

We did this. Ten months ago we began cultivating a starter and making sourdough bread. We live up on a mountain and it took ten weeks for it to get really strong. But my wife makes the most wonderful breads and pancakes from it. I have lost 14 pounds without dieting or exercise. Way cool and cheap nutrition.

[crystalglass]

Once I make some sourdough bread it quickly becomes history itself

[eleanorbell]

After watching this enlightening lecture I am now committed to creating my own sourdough starter!

[syky]

The most important ingredient in a good bread whether it’s sourdough or any other is the one ingredient that’s missing from all of our lives and that’s time.

True and sad.

[Aharsmann]

Fantastic storytelling, really enjoyed this

[WorthlessWinner]

The talk gets significantly better after the prehistory portion.

[lauraweiss]

Too many years of Catholic school taught me that Jesus’ first miracle was Wedding at Canaan - water into wine, but what the hell, it’s a great lecture while I’m baking this morning’s sourdough loaf. Cheers!

[panaceiasuberes]

1:49 Legend has it, this gent is still on the No Fly List till this day.

[carlosclavell]

Enjoyed the presentation. Exploring sourdough starter.

[justsaying]

This dude looks like a professor... Like if I just saw this guy randomly at a grocery store, I would know that he was cooking up a lecture.

[betsy]

I love cripple creek and went down into the gold mine, twice. I am now into making sourdough starter. There are women that want my starter to make their bread. I would love some of yours. I live in Kentucky, however we want to move back to western Colorado and retire there. You did great. Love this.

[smoothbeak]

I'd personally like to hear what the Earl of Sandwich has to say on the matter.

[DaddyT]

Did he just say that Cripple Creek, Colorado is a real place and not just a South Park joke??

[fedesartorio]

Very interesting lecture, but the unnecessary hyper-gendered beginning bothered me! Recent findings prove that women hunted too, and more importantly, who cares which gender of early humans found what? We're here for the history of bread, not for the history of who did what, that's not relevant

[katka]

I really enjoyed this lecture! I learned a lot and am inspired to learn more. Thank you.

[charlieluna]

Not sure I agree with the hypothetical "girl gets the idea to plant seeds". What would be more plusable is the an animal that had seeds in its belly was captured and killed to eat, then some seeds survived as the carcus was buried and someone saw shit growing from waste pit. they knew that animals ate seeds and they knew these plants grew from the ground so they put 2 and 2 together.
Or thay probably buried them in the ground to keep them away from predictors and theives and they happen to start sprouting.
You defiantly wouldn't go "gunna leave this food I need to live on the ground to be eaten by animals, I like starving and being beaten by my tribe if they knew i left perfectly good food on the ground " and you certainly would've go "gunna shove this food in the mud for kicks".

[demekagamine]

I'm super baked taking a dump and I ended up here

[elizondorj]

Very interesting and well-done talk. Never thought about how bread is made but clearly. the modern way maybe lacking in quality. Very enjoyable.

[stevenchurch]

have been thinking about making a starter and having another try at sourdough, bake all my own bread now with commercial yeast, going to go start a starter right now...