Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Did You Know Tuesday: The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Sliced bread ... we all grew up with it.  I always liked "butter bread," as we call it in the South, and as you see the little Sunbeam girl eating in this ad.  In addition to Sunbeam bread, I also remember Colonial bread, Wonder bread, Roman Meal, and wonderful smooth whole wheat bread made at the local monastery.   These breads all had one thing in common:  they were sliced.

Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented the first bread slicing machine in Davenport, Iowa.  It was first used on July 7, 1928 at the Chillicothe Baking Company in Missouri (pictured below).  So sliced bread is 87 years old today!  I think I'll celebrate by having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunch.


(Photo credit: "Chili-sliced" by Americasroof)

I think a lot of bread bakeries were regional.  What sliced breads were popular where you grew up?   I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.