Changes

During the Classical period, there were many varieties of bread (Figure 2), ranging from sourdough, honey-and-oil bread, oyster, barley, wheat, poppy seeds, and even rolls. Bread in Near Eastern and European societies became intertwined with meals and often even the main part of meals, where other foods were sometimes called the condiments or extras that one adds to the meal. The Romans had formed special guilds for bread bakers, calling them COLLEGIUM PISTORUM. Bread bakers also became experts in the production of pastries, where Rome itself likely had several hundred pastry chefs during the apex of its ancient population. Sweet breads and breads filled with meats or vegetables became one specialty type. From the Roman period, we learn also about types of breads mad of oats, groats, and rye. White bread, usually made from wheat, however, became associated with the wealthy classes. Above all types of breads and pastries, having white bread served at a meal demonstrated important status of someone.Whole wheat and coarse grain breads in Rome would have been seen as food for poor people, while today such breads are more desired for their nutrition and it is white bread that is seen as less healthy and more for poorer classes.<ref>For more on bread types in antiquity, see: Tamang, J. P., & Kailasapathy, K. (Eds.). (2010). <i>Fermented foods and beverages of the world.</i> Boca Raton: CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, pg. 14.</ref>

Molds growing on breads were already recognized for their potential medicinal value. This would become the forerunner of penicillin, which was not formally invented until 1933. However, ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, and likely other societies recognized that molds could be used to rub wounds, which would help wounds to heal. Bread left to mold, therefore, were also used for healing as it provided a way to clean wounds and infections.<ref>For more on penicillin mold and how it was used in the ancient world, see: Ballen, K. G. (2010). <i>Seven wonders of medicine.</i> Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, pg. 37.</ref>

The use of seeds, such as wheat or barley, to grow grains that would then become bread helped bread and life giving sustenance to be closely affiliated most likely already by the Neolithic. The idea that a few seeds can create enough wheat or barley to create a lot of bread symbolized the importance of grains to society but that symbolism was closely associated with bread.<ref>For more on the symbolism of bread, including in religion, see: Jacob, H. E. (2007). Six thousand years of bread: its holy and unholy history. New York: Skyhorse Pub.</ref>