History of Bread in Iran

Given the importance of bread in the Iranian diet, it is surprising that its role in Iranian society has so far been ignored as a subject of study. Since ancient times, bread has been the staple diet of the peoples living in the Iranian plateau. Willem Floor, one of the foremost scholars of Iranian history, describes the beginnings of agriculture and bread-making, and the various grains and other products that were, and are, used to make bread. He then delves into the making of dough in rural and urban areas, followed by an overview of baking techniques, and the many kinds of bread that were — and continue to be — made in Iran. And, because Man does not live by bread alone, we are offered an overview of the spiritual and social aspects of bread in Iranian society. Finally, the author assesses the dietary importance of bread to the people of Iran and ends by addressing the question of how the State dealt with “the bread issue”, which often determined the rise and fall of governments.

Author Biography

Dr Willem Floor studied development economics, non-western sociology, as well as Persian, Arabic, and Islamology from 1963-1967 at the University of Utrecht (the Netherlands). He received his doctoral degree from the University of Leiden in 1971. Since 1983, Dr Floor has been employed by the World Bank as an energy specialist. Throughout this time, he has published extensively on the socio-economic history of Iran.