“Bread – where do you come from” was the guiding topic of a full day experts’ field trip of the discussion group ‘LAND-KREIS Berlin’ on 21rst June 2014. This discussion group consists of managers from businesses, practice, ministries, associations, trade unions, the educational sector and the media and serves as forum for encounters, information, sharing of opinions and entertainment on the full exuberance of the land and the agricultural and food business. It was in this discussion group that the idea for the European PeaceBread project was born.
Members of the association PeaceBread (Verein Friedensbrot e.V.) Anton Blöth, Adalbert Kienle and Dr. Gibfried Schenk belong to the LAND-KREIS discussion group, and participated in this year’s experts’ field trip.
Guided by the Head of Academy Wolfgang Weber, the excursion led behind the scenes of the Academy of the German Baker’s Craft (Akademie des Deutschen Bäckerhandwerks) in Berlin Lankwitz. The Academy was founded more than 125 years ago by the Bakers‘ Guild Berlin and today is in possession of a new building for the state-of-the-art education and training of bakers, confectioners, sales managers and nutritionists. One key objective is the teaching of theoretical knowledge and practical skills for a self-employed master baker or for someone performing responsible tasks in an enterprise. Since decades, this system of dual education in businesses and schools is appreciated as special success in vocational education.
One highlight of the excursion was the tasting of bread and a bread-test with different types of fresh bread – brown rye bread with a rye content of more than 50%. Criteria of the evaluation protocol include shape, surface, the appearance of the breadcrumb, elasticity, smell and taste. All participants of the field trip were convinced that bread from skilful baker’s craft will also be preferred by consumers in the future. Rich in tradition and quality as it is, German bread culture should have fair chances to be declared an immaterial world cultural heritage; that is what the participants of the field trip wished for before the excursion went on with a visit of a still workable windmill and a farm in Berlin.
