Our Daily Bread” in Italy: Its Meaning in the Roman Period and Today

From antiquity to the New Millennium, bread continues to be a staple in the daily and ceremonial life of Mediterranean culture, even though its uses, shapes, and ingredients have been modified over time. Italy, in particular, figures among the countries where this food has represented an important geographical and cultural marker from the most ancient periods. Bread-making requires diverse types of knowledge and skills, from commanding nature in order to transform the landscape for the purpose of a cereal-crop, to the building of works (factories and bakeries), which are essential for bread-making. This paper focuses on the meaning of the bread, both as a food staple and as a cultural symbol, in two key periods. The first refers to the Roman period, and the second to modern time (post-eighteenth century), when baking production acquired an industrial scale. The study enlists three levels of analysis to understand how consumers viewed the product: the materials and techniques of bread making, its production, and its sales and distribution.