Rachel Laudan

Primitive tools do not need to imply primitive results.  exquisitely carved objects and elegant painting by societies tens of thousands of years before the invention of grain agriculture attest to the essentially unlimited possibilities for bread making in the context of the earliest gatherers of grains. This from William Rubel’s new little book, Bread: A [...]

Lockwood Kipling, Rudyard’s father and head art teacher at the Sir Jamsetje Jeejeboy College of Art in Bombay, founded by the epynonymous Indian benefactor, reflects on the Indian peasant diet. The succulent [literally juicy from the Latin succus] food of the West, rich and full of flavour, is eaten with a closed mouth, while appreciative [...]

Here’s my stab at an answer, or rather a couple of answers.  I’ll concentrate on Europe but I think the same would apply in most places grains are used (except perhaps Africa and Mexico, because maize is a bit different). Answer One. Whole grains are hard on the system. Today we don’t eat many grains [...]