"Northern" Rye Sourdough Bread

The further north you go in Europe, the darker the breads become, especially the rye breads. Rustic Russian breads are notoriously dark whole grain, especially compared to the light southern varieties. The climate has a lot to do with it, since in cooler climates the added energy derived from the darker breads is required. In reflection of the idea of Roman times, darker breads were for the peasant people and the lighter breads for the upper class. The more heavy breads made from the whole grain (including the bran and wheat germ) were fed to the gladiators. In contrast, the same flour was sifted to create the purer white flour (endosperm), which only the upper class, or the elite, was able to eat. At one point, this was enforced to such a degree, that a death penalty was given to those who rose 'above their status' and ate the finer white bread. The white and dark colours still symbolize all of the attributes which we associate the two colours with, which are buried in the basic food commodity of 'our daily bread'. This bread is one of substance, made from a natural bacterial-yeast rye culture, and is a tribute to the darker rye bread culture of Europe's past.