A Perspective: Daily Bread: Breakfast and Lunch Led by... the Baguette!

Bread holds significant cultural value in many civilizations and even in some religions. 14,000 years ago, it was merely a flatbread baked on hot stones. By 8000 B.C., "leavened bread" was baked in clay ovens. The Greeks and Romans established bakeries equipped with machinery. Since then, bread has become a staple food.

In the Middle Ages, white bread was reserved for the wealthy, while black bread (made from rye, barley, etc.) was for the common people.