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Sourdough Culture A History of Bread-making from Ancient to Modern Bakers
Sourdough Culture presents the history and science of sourdough bread baking from its discovery more than six thousand years ago to its still-recent displacement by the innovation of dough-mixing machines and fast-acting yeast. Pallant traces the tradition of sourdough across continents, from its origins in the Middle East’s Fertile Crescent to Europe and then around the world. Pallant also explains how sourdough fed some of history’s most significant figures, such as Plato, Pliny the Elder, Louis Pasteur, Marie Antoinette, Martin Luther, and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, and introduces the lesser-known—but equally important—individuals who relied on sourdough bread for sustenance: ancient Roman bakers, medieval housewives, Gold Rush miners, and the many, many...
“If you’re not already in love with bread making, you will be after this book.”
“The book is terrific!”
More Reviews“Sourdough Culture is a tour de force of social, economic, political and gastronomic history that is both meticulously researched and highly readable.”

About Eric Pallant
Eric Pallant is a serious amateur baker, a two-time Fulbright Scholar, double, award-winning professor, and Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science and Sustainability at Allegheny College. He has been featured on NPR, CNN, BBC, National Geographic, Vox, The Hill, and Raising America. He is acknowledged for his skill in weaving research narratives into compelling stories for the Gresham Lecture Series, London; The Perfect Loaf; bread symposia; numerous podcasts; and articles for magazines such as Gastronomica, Sierra, and Science.
Recent Media Appearances
- The Hill: Interview for Raising America Podcast with Elizabeth Prann
- Vox: Interview for Today, Explained Podcast
- BBC: Quoted expert on sourdough history


