Have you ever wondered how we got milk?

[Allenberg]

What makes a person decide, "Hey I think I am gonna go over to that cow and pull on those things hanging down and drink whatever comes out?"

:shrug:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. At least it's a natural extension of what we do as babies. The one I'VE

always wondered about, is bread, or baked goods in general.

I mean, grain, OK.
Grinding up grain, mmm okay maybe.
Adding water to make a paste out of ground up grain. Hmm.
Throwing yeast into that. And then--what this thing needs, is some fire, baby!

Seriously, who came up with all that?

[pokerfan]

5. History of bread

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread#History

Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The first breads produced were cooked versions of a grain-paste, made from ground cereal grains and water, and may have been developed by accidental cooking or deliberate experimentation with water and grain flour. Descendants of these early breads are still commonly made from various grains worldwide, with the Mexican tortilla, Indian chapati, Chinese poa ping, Scots oatcake, North American johnnycake, and Ethiopian injera all being examples. The basic flat breads of this type also formed a staple in the diet of many early civilizations with the Sumerians eating a type of barley flat cake, and the 12th century BC Egyptians being able to purchase a flat bread called ta from stalls in the village streets.

The development of leavened bread is commonly believed to have occurred in Egypt, due to its favorable wheat growing conditions, and required the development of wheat varieties with two properties not available in earlier varieties. The first development occurred by the beginning of Dynastic Egypt and consisted of a grain that could be satisfactorily threshed without being first toasted. Discovery of a wheat variety containing sufficient gluten-forming protein was the second development required for raised bread. Initial development of leavened bread is believed to have occurred during the 17th century BC, but the wheat capable of producing it appears to have been rare for a very long time after it was initially developed. This scarcity is suggested by the fact that such grain did not become common in Ancient Greece until the 4th Century BC despite regular trade having occurred between Egypt and Greece for the previous 300 years.

There were multiple sources of leavening available for early bread. Air borne yeasts could be harnessed by leaving uncooked dough exposed to air for some time before cooking. Pliny the Elder reported that the Gauls and Iberians used the foam skimmed from beer to produce "a lighter kind of bread than other peoples". Parts of the ancient world that drank wine instead of beer used a paste composed of grape juice and flour that was allowed to begin fermenting, or wheat bran steeped in wine, as a source for yeast. The most common source of leavening however was to retain a piece of dough from the previous day to utilize as a form of sourdough starter.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

2. Now that you brought it up .

I would like to know how we got it as well .

[uppityperson]

3. artichokes and crabs

How did that happen?

[RevolutionaryActs]

4. What about coffee?

Let's boil these ugly little black things in some water and then drink it! :9

[Bridget Burke]

25. The story is....

A Sufi scholar traveled to Ethiopia. He noticed some goats capering about and found the source of their energy: beans growing on a bush. A drink brewed from the dried, toasted & ground beans helped him stay awake to study the Koran. So he spread the word.

But this is just a legend. Some claim the Sufis are behind everything.

[u4ic]

6. What about eggs?

[Nicole]

13. That's the one I've always wondered about

Who first thought something coming out of the ass end of a chicken was a good thing to eat?

[no name no slogan]

23. That has ALWAYS puzzled me, too

Whoever discovered it must have been pretty darn hungry.

:hi:

[RumpusCat]

26. IOW: Who taught our grandmothers to suck eggs?

Lol. A lot of wild animals will eat the eggs of other animals, including rodents, snakes, lizards, cats and dogs. Just about anything will eat eggs! I suspect our ancestors were always aware that eggs were tasty and defenseless.

[Deja Q]

30. That's abortion.

:rofl:

[Floogeldy]

7. I think they saw calves doing it first.

It ain't rocket, scientist. ;)

[Shine]

8. Your question reminds me of my 9 yr old daughter.

She's constantly asking questions like yours. Today it was: "Mom, who invented chocolate?"

:)

[XemaSab]

10. Mexicans, I think

:shrug:

[Orangepeel]

17. Maya, specifically

But the Spaniards made it tasty.



The ancient Maya grew cacao and made it into a beverage.
The first people clearly known to have discovered the secret of cacao were the Classic Period Maya (250-900 C.E. ). The Maya and their ancestors in Mesoamerica took the tree from the rainforest and grew it in their own backyards, where they harvested, fermented, roasted, and ground the seeds into a paste.

When mixed with water, chile peppers, cornmeal, and other ingredients, this paste made a frothy, spicy chocolate drink.

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/history_intro.html

[BikeWriter]

9. Hmm, cool subject.

[XemaSab]

11. Bread and cheese are the wierd ones for me

WAY too many steps in the process. :shrug:

[EstimatedProphet]

19. Actually, a lot of the steps in both occur naturally, if they let them

For example, ancient peoples used to use stomachs from slaughtered livestock for carrying water. If enough rennet was left in them, and they put in milk instead of water, they got cheese.

[XemaSab]

31. The thing with the bread that confuses me

is the leavening, the kneading, and all the different fiddly ingredients. :shrug:

Also, unless it was a calf stomach, you'd think they'd rinse it out first in order to avoid the grass particles. Also, wouldn't that make butter and not cheese? :shrug:

[SoCalDem]

32. the milk in bags hanging off camels turned into yogurt

because of the sloshing as the camels walked..

I saw that on Discover :)

[EstimatedProphet]

34. Yogurt, cheese, butter

they're similar enough that experimentation would lead to different products.

[billyskank]

28. I'm with you there

Bread? :wtf: Who thought that up?

[jpgray]

12. Same impulse that makes someone rip off Bill Watterson

:D

[Allenberg]

14. I read it in a signature on another board,

so I thought I'd ask my fellow DUers. :D

[realisticphish]

27. burrrn

if i had the patience to look through my collection of calvin and hobbes, i'd find that strip

[liontamer]

15. no

milk is among the most rational things we eat. Who the hell thought to invent baking? "hmm why don't we grind up that grass, steal some eggs, maybe mix a few other things in like fungus and stick it somewhere really hot and see what happens"

[rug]

16. The bravest human who ever lived was the first one to eat a clam

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

20. Or just one of the most desperate.

[Spacemom]

18. Some cultures don't drink milk at all

I think we're the only species that drinks the milk of another species.

[liontamer]

24. not true

seagulls drink seal milk in the wild.

[Sequoia]

21. You have too much time on your hands.

Stop thinking and get to work. You're not paid to think so hop to it Hop Sing.

[Strong Atheist]

22. This exact phrase was used in Dilbert and applied to smoking;

who decided to set some weed on fire and stick it in his/her mouth?

[Deja Q]

29. I've often thought the same of caviar...

"mmmm, if I scoop out that fish's ova and other smooshy parts, will it taste good on a rye cracker?"

[SOteric]

33. Or heck, think about drinking the fermented mash of grapes,

that cannot have smelled delicious and thirst-quenching.