Going with the Grain

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For award-winning journalist and traveler Susan Seligson, bread—be it a crusty baguette, pita, or matzo—serves as a cultural currency, reflecting the beliefs and daily lives of people. With a keen eye for meaning in everyday rituals, Seligson explores the journey of round loaves in Morocco's Fès, witnesses the creation of an expensive artisanal pain au levain, and tours a massive Wonder Bread factory. Her prose, filled with conviction and humor, introduces us to a U.S. Army food engineer developing long-lasting bread and an Alabama octogenarian whose biscuits draw devoted fans. From Jordan's Wad~ Musá to Brooklyn's schmurah matzo factories, and the kitchens of New Delhi to Ireland's granaries, Seligson weaves her adventures with rich historical insights and personal reflections on this fundamental food. Whether in its simplest form of flour and water or as a product of modern science, bread's significance is encapsulated in the Arabic word aysh, meaning both "bread" and "life."