The world celebrates World Bread Day on October 16 every year. Initiated by the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners, the observance is dedicated to a staple food that has been of importance around the world since the dawn of agriculture.
World Bread Day is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945 to defeat hunger. It has a Latin motto, Fiat panis, which is translated as “Let there be bread.” World Bread Day coincides with World Food Day.
Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods. People may have used starch extract from the roots of plants to cook a primitive form of flatbread as early as 30,000 years ago, according to AnydayGuide.
Grains became the mainstay of making bread with the dawn of Neolithic age. The ancient Egyptians are believed to be the first to use yeast to leaven the dough.
Bread is the staple food in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and in European-derived countries, as rice is the staple in East Asia. Bread is usually made from wheat, but it can be also made from other cereals, including rye, barley, oats, maize, rice, millet and sorghum.
In many cuisines, there are traditional bread recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Since ancient times, bread has had a significance beyond mere nutrition in many cultures, where it is a metaphor for basic necessities and living conditions in general. In some religions, including Christianity and Judaism, bread is an important ritual element.
