bread

Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history, it has been a prominent food in large parts of the world. It is one of the oldest man-made foods, having been of significant importance since the dawn of agriculture, and plays an essential role in both religious rituals and secular culture. 面包是用面粉和水做成的面团，通常通过烘烤制成的主食。在有记录的历史中，它一直是世界大部分地区的一种重要食物。它是最古老的人造食品之一，自农业诞生以来就具有重要意义，在宗教仪式和世俗文化中都发挥着重要作用。

Bread may be leavened by naturally occurring microbes, chemicals, industrially produced yeast, or high-pressure aeration. In many countries, commercial bread often contains additives to improve flavor, texture, color, shelf life, nutrition, and ease of production. 面包可以由自然产生的微生物、化学物质、工业生产的酵母或高压通气发酵。在许多国家，商业面包通常含有添加剂，以改善风味、质地、颜色、保质期、营养和易于生产。

The Old English word for bread was hlaf (hlaifs in Gothic [哥特语]: modern English loaf). 哥特族是曾入侵罗马帝国的一支日耳曼民族。

Bread is usually made from a wheat-flour dough that is cultured with yeast, allowed to rise, and finally baked in an oven. The addition of yeast to the bread explains the air pockets commonly found in bread. Owing to its high levels of gluten (which give the dough sponginess and elasticity), common or bread wheat is the most common grain used for the preparation of bread, which makes the largest single contribution to the world's food supply of any food. 面包通常由面粉面团制成，面团与酵母一起培养，发酵，最后在烤箱中烘焙。在面包中添加酵母可以解释面包中常见的气泡。由于面筋含量高（使面团具有海绵状和弹性），普通小麦或面包小麦是制备面包最常用的谷物，对世界粮食供应的贡献最大。Non-wheat cereals including rye, barley, maize (corn), oats, sorghum, millet and rice have been used to make bread, but, with the exception of rye, usually in combination with wheat flour as they have less gluten. 包括黑麦、大麦、玉米（玉米）、燕麦、高粱、小米和大米在内的非小麦谷物已被用于制作面包，但除黑麦外，通常与小麦面粉结合使用，因为它们的面筋较少。

"Hansel and Gretel/Grettel", also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister; German: Hänsel und Gret(h)el) is a fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in Grimm's Fairy Tales... Hansel went on as before, and strewed bread crumbs all along the road... when they came nearer they saw that the house was built of bread, and roofed with cakes; and the window was of transparent sugar [link]

Brown bread (left) and whole grain bread:

Russian Traditions, the "Bread and Salt" Custom

When important, respected, or admired guests arrive, they are presented with a loaf of bread placed on a tray as a sign of hospitality. The "Bread and Salt" is a form of specially baked round bread with a salt shaker placed on top of the bread. You can find this custom being practiced during official events and even in restaurants when you go with a group of tourists.

Usually the "Bread and Salt" on a round tray is covered with an embroidered towel and is presented by a young woman dressed in a national costume (e.g., "sarafan" with “kokoshnik"). If you are presented with a "Bread and Salt", you should help yourself for sure: you need to break off a piece of bread, dip it in salt and eat it with a smile. You should not refuse, or the host would get greatly offended. [link]