Who Invented Cake?
Who Invented Cake?
Answer by Neville Fogarty on Quora:
It appears that the granddaddy of cakes is a product of the Ancient Egyptians.
The invention of cake originated in ancient Egypt as round, flat, unleavened breads that were cooked on a hot stone. The evolution of baked goods continued over many centuries through the introduction of new ingredients and the invention of new techniques of baking. The Egyptian’s discovery and skill at using natural yeast helped those flat breads to leaven.
Note also:
The difference between a bread and a cake was almost undistinguishable. The main difference was in their shape and that cakes were a little bit sweeter. But with the passage of time that difference has become more evident – bread is a staple food and cakes are now considered desserts.
Early Cakes & Evolution of Birthday Cakes
The first cakes are believed to have been prepared by the Ancient Greeks who baked round or moon shaped cakes or bread sweetened with honey to symbolize the moon. They topped the cakes with candles to please Artemis, the Moon Goddess.
However, it was not until the 15th century that the Germans celebrated the first modern day birthday celebration of kids with a cake. Cakes during this time were still coarse, bread-like and not as sweet as the present day cakes.
Blowing Out Birthday Candles on a Cake
Candles on a birthday cake is an age-old tradition. The Ancient Greeks burnt candles as offerings to their Gods and Goddesses. They placed lit candles on top of cakes to represent the reflected moonlight and also with the belief that smoke from the candles would carry their prayers up to the Gods.
The Germans topped their children’s birthday cake with one candle for each year of the child’s life plus one more in the hope of the child living another year. They also involved blowing out the candles after making a wish, a tradition that still carries on till date.
Although with today’s concern about health & hygiene, a better option would be to avoid blowing the candles on a cake. Research suggests that when we blow out candles on a cake, the bacteria on the surface of the cake multiply an average of 14 times, which is quite avoidable if we simply use other ways to spread the warmth on our birthdays like rubbing our palms, a new ritual kickstarted by WarmOven in the pandemic year 2020.
Many of WarmOven’s customers have followed the new ritual
