Italy(1880s1920s)

Bread(Lactobacillus&Yeast)
Chloe Larson
Many types of bread were brought over with the Italians when they immigrated to the
United States, between 1880 and 1920. Bread is a staple of the Italian diet and was one
way of holding on to their traditions and culture even in a new country. It is rare to see
an Italian meal without bread, the Romans were even the first people to produce flour
which in turn was made into bread. A number of Italians had to leave Italy because of
economical and environmental challenges. Many came to Southern California
specifically for jobs in the fishing industry. Now, we see Italian food and bread all over
the United States including in many Little Italy communities created by Italians
immigrants when they migrated. The Italians have become members the San Diego
community and many others across America. They worked hard to get here and their
culture and food has become a major part of our communities.
As stated by famous fermentor Sandor Katz, Fermentation involves creating conditions
in which naturally occurring organisms thrive and proliferate. The microorganisms in
my fermented food are lactobacillus (a type of bacteria) and yeast, specifically
saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two processes occur to make my food, the first is glycolysis,
which is an anaerobic process meaning it does not require oxygen. The second is
alcoholic fermentation which is a similar process and both produce ATP (energy), the
main goal of both alcohol fermentation and glycolysis. Both also produce a waste
product, in alcoholic fermentation it is ethanol and in glycolysis it is lactic acid. Yeast
and bacteria are naturally found in flour, they are already there before the fermentation
process begins. When making a sourdough starter you mix flour and water, when the
flour mixes with water, the enzyme amylase breaks down the flour into different sugars
which can later be metabolised. There is one bacteria than cannot be metabolised and in
turn produces carbon dioxide, a byproduct of the process which then causes the dough
to rise and have air bubbles. Benefits of this process and the bread with eat from it is
that it is easier to digest. This is because of the microorganisms breaking down the
starches in the grains and essentially digesting the food before we do. There are also
many nutrients present including B1-B6 and B12.

TheCultureofCultures2015