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The Beginning

Appears in
Patisserie: A Masterclass in Classic and Contemporary Patisserie

By William Curley and Suzue Curley

Published 2014

  • About
The first evidence of baking occurs with the Neolithic man creating primitive flat breads. Baking continued through the Ancient Mediterranean; the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicans all produced filo style pastries in their culinary traditions. There is also strong evidence that the ancient Egyptians produced pastry-like confections; they had professional bakers who had the skills to do so, and they also had ingredients such as flour, oil and honey.

Baking flourished in the Roman Empire. Around 300 bc, the pastry cook became an occupation for Romans (known as a pastillarium). It became a respected profession because pastries were considered decadent, and the Romans loved festivity and celebration. Pastries were often cooked for large banquets and pastry cooks inventing new creations were very highly prized. A baker’s guild was established in 168 bc in Rome and by around 1 ad there were more than 300 pastry cooks in the city. As a result of their vast and expanding empire, the Romans discovered an endless variety of condiments and ingredients to be used in their cooking and spread many of their culinary techniques throughout the European empire, especially their early techniques of making pastry.

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