For centuries already, bakers, families, and travellers have relied on sourdough to help them bake their breads and feed them. No wonder therefore that people have been making such nice jars for their sourdough! This one, from Florence, Italy dates back to the 18th century. Keeping a sourdough healthy was, in these warmer climates, extra challenging, as back then they didn’t have the luxury of a fridge; indeed with warmer temperatures the micro-flora in sourdoughs was particularly active. It meant that in order to keep their sourdough alive, people had to ‘feed’ their sourdough with new flour and water many times a day AND night. And if they forgot to do so, their sourdough became too sour and couldn’t be baked with. With such potential consequences, the sourdough jar was often the responsibility of only the most experienced bakers.
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