How Pumpernickel Bread Got It's Name

The Satellite
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At least today you learned one thing on the Satellite

Actually, it might be a good name for this site…

Most bread names are self-explanatory: cinnamon-raisin, sandwich wheat, potato bread. So what exactly is a “pumpernickel”? Originating in Germany, this dark and hefty bread combines rye flour, molasses, and sourdough starter for a dough that bakes at low heat for a whole day. Many American pumpernickel bakers [speed up the process by using yeast and wheat flour, which makes for a lighter loaf that reduces (or altogether removes) pumpernickel’s namesake side effect: flatulence. German bakers of old acknowledged the bread’s gas-inducing ability with an [unsavory nickname] pumpern meaning “to break wind,” and nickel for “goblin or devil.” Put together, the translation reads as “[devil’s fart]— a reference to how difficult pumpernickel could be on the digestive tract.

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Are you saying it’s not just beans that make you toot?

:laughing:

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The more you toot, the better you’ll feel.

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This is maybe the greatest post in the history of Coogfans.

So Coach V The Science Guy, just out of curiosity why does it produce so much “pumper”?

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Sourdough starter is fermented flour & water. Mix that with molasses and, my guess, that combo creates a mighty wind

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Well there you go. If I die in a nuclear holocaust this year (whose odds are increasing) I go to my maker with important knowledge on pumpernickel bread. Having been to Germany plenty of times, their bread is really good.

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Sounds like I need to add pumpernickel bread to my regular diet of pinto beans and beer.

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