Bread in its myriad forms in our lives

The other day I suddenly remembered the poem of Sukumar Roy – it was all about the wonderful combination of pauruti aar jhola gur. Pauruti is better known as bread but, in the times of the poet Sukumar Roy, sliced bread was unknown. The bread used to in the shape of a rectangle pillar with a crusted mound on top – that used to be of a dark brown color. These breads used to come in different weight basis – usually quarter pound, half pound and one pound. That used to be the measure of weight.
So much so for the pauruti part. Now for the jhola gur – this is actually palm syrup and extracted by tapping the juice from the palm tree. It is an unadulterated form of sweetness that can make any person pine for more. And, the combination of pauruti dipped in the jhola is unparalleled in taste. As the poet has himself certified – it is the best of the best.
Anyway – with the progress and development all around us, jhola gur has vanished from the scene and the bread of the good old days have also undergone transformation. It is the age of sliced bread – the white one and the brown one.
In the trains, the railways dish out bread-butter sandwich with omelet for breakfast – by the time the stuff reaches the passenger, the butter goes invisible. It was there, must have been there, but – it must have melted and gone into the pores of the bread. A case of lost in transit.
At home one can apply the butter liberally and, sprinkle some salt, black pepper and sugar over it and slap another slice of bread equally buttered. Then float into heaven as you take one bite and then another.

Another wonder preparation of bread is the French toast – it is not known whether it actually originated in France but, this delicious item can add glamour to the breakfast. Slices of bread dipped in a batter of eggs and fried creates a dish that just cannot be put down. The batter is made of beaten eggs with chopped onions and garlic added with a pinch of salt, sugar and a couple spoonful of milk. The bread slices are dipped in the batter and fried – the end product with frills (of egg) all around it looks like an out-of-this-world product. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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