Rye History & Culture

• The History of Rye Cultivation in Europe. Karl Ernst Behre. 1992

Provides a history of rye cultivation from wild seeds in Anatolia in the early Neolithic Era. Tracks its movement and domestication northwards to central and eastern Europe through the Roman period.

• The Beginnings of Rye (Secale cereale) Cultivation in the East Baltics. Mindaugas Grikpėdis and Giedrė Motuzaitė Matuzevičiūtė. 2016.

Uses pollen and historical grain samples to identify when rye became a staple food crop in the Eastern Baltic region of Europe.

• How Ancient People Fell in Love with Bread, Beer and Other Carbs. Andrew Curry. 2021.

Studying archeological sites in modern-day Turkey to learn how early grains became a dietary staple in prehistoric societies in the Middle East.

• The “Coalition of ‘Rye and Iron’” Under the Pressure of Globalization: A reinterpretation of Germany’s political economy before 1914. Cornelius Torp. 2010.

News/Media:

• What You Need to Know About Rye. Anson Mills.

  • A brief history of rye production for bread and spirits in the American South and Abruzzi rye’s roots going back to Roman Jesuit monks.

• Rye History and Traditions in Latvia. Baltic Country Holidays. 2020.

  • History, traditions, and types of rye bread in Latvia presented by a Latvian and Baltic region tourism association.

• The Icelandic Bakery That Buries Its Bread in Hot Springs. Tiffany Eastham. January 17, 2022.

  • A story of an Icelandic rye bread that is buried and baked by geothermal hot springs for 24 hours yielding a rich and cakey rye loaf.

• Turns Out Rye Whiskey Isn’t an American Creation After All. Lew Bryson. The Daily Beast. December 3, 2021.

  • Describes the introduction of rye whiskey by German immigrants in the early Bay colony of Massachusetts before migrating to Pennsylvania.

• 1880 Census: Volume 3. Report on the Productions of Agriculture. United States Census Bureau. 1883.

  • Data, maps, and histories of barley, rye, and buckwheat production in the US for the 1880 census. The full census includes other crops and livestock, agricultural history, and processes.

Books:

• The Kingdom of Rye. Darra Goldstein. 2022.

A history of Slavic food and culture shaped by hunger, climate, and politics.

• Musu Maize (Our Daily Bread). Indra Cekstere. 2004.

  • The story of bread baking traditions in Latvia. Printed in Latvian and English side by side.

• Domestication of Plants in the Old World. Danial Zohary, Maria Hopf and Ehud Weiss. Oxford University Press. Fourth Edition 2012.

  • The origin and spread of domesticated plants in Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin.

Video:

• Grain Homeschool with James MacGuire Rye History & Loaf Baking. Andy Clark with James MacGuire. July 7, 2021.

  • Webinar of American and European rye history, production, breeding, and baking.