flipTravel Black Bread and Smoked Bacon
Travel Black Bread and Smoked Bacon
Why this dish? In 1705, young Bach walked some 400 km from Arnstadt to Lübeck to hear organist Buxtehude. For such a walk, one carried dense rye bread, which keeps for days, and smoked bacon — the frugal traveler's fare.
A compact, almost black rye bread, cut into thick chunks and eaten with smoked bacon: dense and durable nourishment, made to sustain the walker on the long roads of Germany.
As a young man, I had strong legs and a head full of music: I walked from Arnstadt to Lübeck to hear the great Buxtehude draw wonders from the organ. In my satchel, no feast: a large rye loaf, black and firm, which neither molds nor crumbles, and a piece of smoked bacon. You cut a slice with your knife, bite into it by the roadside, and set off again with a valiant heart. The music was worth a few blisters, believe me.
- •Whole rye sourdough bread — a dense loaf (nourishing and durable base)
- •Smoked bacon (Speck) — a piece (travel fat)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Travel Black Bread and Smoked Bacon
A compact, almost black rye bread, cut into thick chunks and eaten with smoked bacon: dense and durable nourishment, made to sustain the walker on the long roads of Germany.
Why this dish? In 1705, young Bach walked some 400 km from Arnstadt to Lübeck to hear organist Buxtehude. For such a walk, one carried dense rye bread, which keeps for days, and smoked bacon — the frugal traveler's fare.
As a young man, I had strong legs and a head full of music: I walked from Arnstadt to Lübeck to hear the great Buxtehude draw wonders from the organ. In my satchel, no feast: a large rye loaf, black and firm, which neither molds nor crumbles, and a piece of smoked bacon. You cut a slice with your knife, bite into it by the roadside, and set off again with a valiant heart. The music was worth a few blisters, believe me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Whole rye sourdough bread — a dense loaf (nourishing and durable base)
- Smoked bacon (Speck) — a piece (travel fat)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Whole rye sourdough bread — 4 thick slices (base)
- Smoked bacon / smoked pork belly (Speck) — 100 g (topping)
- Mild mustard (optional) — a little (brighten)
- Pickled gherkins (optional) — a few (acidic freshness)
Method
- Cut thick slices of rye bread.
- Quickly sear the smoked bacon slices in a pan, or serve them raw if ready-to-eat.
- Place bacon on the bread, add a dab of mustard if desired.
- Serve with pickled gherkins for freshness; wrap in a cloth for travel.
How it was made : Sourdough rye bread, baked for a long time, could keep for one to two weeks — a decisive advantage before the era of rapid transport. Smoked bacon and black bread formed the basic ration for German travelers, soldiers, and day laborers, who carried them in a cloth or satchel.
The contemporary twist : 'Baroque hike' version: open rye sandwich with crispy bacon and coarse mustard, rolled in kraft paper for a picnic.
Johann Sebastian Bach · Charactorium
