THE BREAD OF SIBERIA.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5568, 26 October 1910, Page 4

THE BREAD OF SIBERIA.

Of all the" hard-tack breads of the jniverse, the small ringed bread ol Siberia is taitl to be the most substantial. When the Russian engineering parties were- constructing the Siberian railroad, this white ring bread (with the coarse rye bread) was their main staff of life. It is made without salt or yeast, and is Srst steamed, then lightly baked to expel the moisture. Some curious uses were made of these breads by the engineers. When soaked in hot pure tallow for a few moments, till they sank, they were used in soups, or soaked in and eaten with tea, luring the severe winter months. This tallow bread was considered tho most heat-producing article in the dietary. Another curious use to which it is put is as an extempore candle or coffee-pot boiler. A ball is used to make about eight holes in the tallow ring bread ; wax vestas are placed in these' and ignited. It will burn slowly for about an hour, emitting a strong heat sufficient to warm and light a small tent and boil the tea or coffee water. There is a rather strong odour of toasting bread ; but that is tolerated in preference to smoke. The engineers in Siberia used the larger sizes of ringed' bread as makeshift quoits for Sunday afternoon sport in their tents, and the bread stood the knocking about pretty well, and would eventually appear in the soup at the svtning meal. Small Siberian storekeepers also use the ringed bread as an abacus or "primitive counting apparatus for calculating small sums in roubles and kopeks, and simple Fguring. Three strings are suspended ibove the counter ; ten breads are trung on each ; the top line repreents the roubles (their money transctious rarely going above ten), and he two lower strings stand for the .opeks.—"Spare Moments."