The Nutritive Value of Black Bread

Abstract

DURING the last General Election much was heard about the hard lot of the German workmen and peasants who are compelled to eat black bread, and much political capital was made of it. It may therefore be interesting to inquire how much of a hardship this is from the point of view of nutritiousness and also of tastiness. The so-called black bread is made of rye, and has the property of keeping moist for a much longer time than wheaten bread, although if kept too long it is apt to turn sour. It is quite a mistake to suppose that it is nasty; in New York, where wheaten bread is the staple article of diet, the German bakeries almost always also sell black bread, even in the best quarters of the town, and it is said that black bread is always to be found on the Emperor's table. So those who habitually buy white bread by no means, entirely discard the use of black bread, though it does not appear to have found very much favour except with those of German extraction.