Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back over 14,000 years.

The word “bread” comes from the Old English word “bréad,” which originally meant “bit,” “crumb,” or “morsel.”

The earliest breads were likely accidental, created when grain porridge was left on a hot rock.

Bread rises because yeast produces carbon dioxide, which expands the dough.

The world consumes more flatbreads, such as pita, naan, tortilla, and lavash, than risen breads.

Ancient Egyptians are credited with inventing yeast-risen bread. Egyptians also used bread as currency and for tax payments.

The word “companion” comes from the Latin “com” (with) and “panis” (bread), meaning “someone you share bread with.”

In medieval Europe, bread was often used as a plate, called a trencher.

Sourdough is the oldest known type of leavened bread.

The soil of ancient Egypt contained natural wild yeasts ideal for fermentation.

The baguette has no fixed official dimensions, but it usually measures about 65 to 70 centimeters long. French law requires that a traditional baguette contain only flour, water, yeast, and salt.

The sandwich is named after the 4th Earl of Sandwich, who ate meat between bread while gambling.

Pita bread puffs up because the water in the dough turns to steam, expanding and creating a pocket.

White bread was once considered a status symbol because refined flour was expensive.

Brown bread was historically considered “poor man’s food.”

Bread has been used metaphorically for money, such as “bread” or “dough,” since the early 1900s.

Challah contains no dairy so it can be eaten with meat according to Jewish dietary laws.

Banana bread rose in popularity during the Great Depression due to recipes published in home magazines.

The first automatic bread slicer was created in 1928 by Otto Frederick Rohwedder.

During World War II, sliced bread was briefly banned in the United States to conserve packaging materials.

In Finland, some breads are made with fish bones, producing a calcium-rich product.

Focaccia dates back to ancient Rome and was offered to the gods.

Some traditional breads, like Ethiopian injera, are made with teff flour, one of the smallest grains on Earth.

Bread is part of religious rituals in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam.

Matzo is an unleavened bread eaten during Passover to commemorate the Israelites’ rapid escape from Egypt.

In ancient Greece, there were over 70 variations of bread.

Medieval bakers had to follow the Assize of Bread, a law that punished those who sold undersized loaves.

In Scotland, oatcakes were historically eaten more often than wheaten bread.

In Iceland, some bread is baked using geothermal heat underground.

The pretzel was invented by monks and originally shaped to represent arms folded in prayer.

The first bagels in America were brought by Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s.

Ciabatta is a modern creation from 1982, developed to compete with the French baguette.