France (1500s-1800s)

French Baguette (Yeast)

Isabelle Ho
A Baguette is a staple in the French diet that originated in France in the 1790s. French
immigrants brought French culture to the United States as they started to immigrate in the
late 1500s. Immigrants left France for many different reasons. From religious prosecution
to new colonies, French Americans came in many different waves. In the beginning, there
was an exodus of French immigrants leaving France because of religious discrimination.
Later, it was the settlement of new colonies and the need to start strong communities. After
that, it was religion again, the same group of people were being pushed out of France. One
of the last waves was during the French Revolution, French citizens fled the war and after
Napoleon was defeated many people left France for the United States. Ultimately, the best
option for the French was to immigrate to the United States. Over time, French culture
became greatly appreciated in America, they started to copy fashion trends and traditional
French foods like the baguette. French baguettes became very popular in America and
almost everyone tried to bake the perfect authentic French baguette.
Fermentation is the process of breaking down a substance into smaller substances. Bread
uses yeast in alcohol fermentation. In alcohol fermentation, sugar molecules like glucose,
fructose, and sucrose are converted into cellular energy (ATP) and produce ethanol and
carbon dioxide as waste products. In bread, the yeast breaks down the sugar (glucose) is
into ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide forms bubbles in the dough.
The gluten protein in the flour gives elasticity to the dough and traps the CO2 bubbles
produced by the yeast so the bread dough rises and the bread becomes fluffy. Nearly all the
ethanol evaporates from the dough when the bread is baked, thats why bread is not
alcoholic even though the process is called alcohol fermentation.

The Culture of Cultures - 2015