Pumpernickel (; ) is a typically heavy, slightly sweet
rye bread traditionally made with
sourdough starter
Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by the fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. Lactic acid from fermentation imparts a sour taste and improves keeping qualities.
History
In the ''Encyclopedia of Food Microbiolo ...
and coarsely ground
rye
Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...
. It is sometimes made with a combination of rye
flour and
whole rye grains ("rye berries").
At one time it was traditional
peasant fare, but largely during the 20th century various forms became popular with other classes through
delicatessens and supermarkets. Present-day European and North American pumpernickel differ in several characteristics, including the use of additional leaveners. The North American version may have coloring and flavoring agents, added wheat flour, a higher baking temperature, and a dramatically shortened baking time.
Etymology
The word supposedly stems from an old
Bavarian term for "hard", either referring to the process used to grind the grain into flour, or the density of the final bread product. According to ''Langenscheidts Taschenwörterbuch'' (1956), it refers to a form of "
pumping work".
The
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...
Johann Christoph Adelung (1732–1806) states that the word has an origin in the Germanic vernacular, where was a
New High German
New High German (NHG; german: Neuhochdeutsch (Nhd.)) is the term used for the most recent period in the history of the German language, starting in the 17th century. It is a loan translation of the German (). The most important characteristic ...
synonym for being
flatulent
Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environm ...
, and was a form of the name
Nicholas, commonly associated with a
goblin or
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
(e.g.
Old Nick, a familiar name for
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood. ...
), or more generally for a
malevolent spirit
In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or crem ...
or
demon. Hence, ''pumpernickel'' means "farting devil" or "devil's fart", a definition accepted by the publisher
Random House, and by some English language dictionaries, including the ''
Merriam-Webster Dictionary''. The ''
American Heritage Dictionary
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
'' adds "so named from being hard to digest". A variant of this explanation is also given by the German etymological dictionary ''Kluge'' that says the word is older than its usage for this particular type of bread, and may have been used as a mocking name for a person of unrefined manners (a "farting Nick") first. The change of meaning may have been caused by its use as a mocking expression for the (in the eyes of outsiders) ''unrefined'' rye bread produced by the
Westphalian population.
The ''
Oxford English Dictionary'' does not commit to any particular etymology for the word. It suggests it may mean a lout or booby, but also says "origin uncertain". The ''OED'' currently states the first use in English was in 1756.
''
Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary'' gives the etymology as being the German word for a rackety goblin, a coarse lout, and rye-bread - possibly from its giving forth a sound like ''pump'' when struck.
A false
folk etymology involves Napoleon, who, while invading Germany, asked for bread and was served dark Westphalian rye. According to the folktale, Napoleon declared that this was not suitable bread for himself, the emperor, but was bread () for Nickel (or Nicole), his horse: "". In a variation of the same basic story, Napoleon declared that the bread was no good for him, but was only good () for his horse: "". However, the name ''Nickel'' is not confirmed for any of Napoleon's many horses. Additional folk etymology grew from a "witty interpretation", proposed by seventeenth-century satirist
Johann Balthasar Schupp
Johann Balthasar Schupp (1 March 1610 – 26 October 1661) was a German satirical author and a writer of Christian lyrics. After 1654, his having switched mid-career to a position as a high-profile Lutheran pastor, the content and populist appr ...
, that the bread was only "good for ''Nicol''", a nickname for a weak or puny horse.
Europe
Pumpernickel has been long associated with the
Westphalia region of Germany, first referred to in print in 1450. Although it is not known whether this and other early references refer to precisely the bread that came to be known as ''Pumpernickel'', Westphalian pumpernickel is distinguished by use of coarse rye meal and a very long baking period, which gives the bread its characteristic dark color. Like most traditional all-rye breads, pumpernickel is made with an acidic
sourdough
Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by the fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. Lactic acid from fermentation imparts a sour taste and improves keeping qualities.
History
In the ''Encyclopedia of Food Microbiolo ...
starter, which preserves dough structure. The acid inactivates the rye
protein,
amylase
An amylase () is an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of starch (Latin ') into sugars. Amylase is present in the saliva of humans and some other mammals, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Foods that contain large amounts of ...
, which converts the
starch to
sugar. That sourdough starter is sometimes augmented, or replaced, in commercial baking by adding
citric acid
Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC(CO2H)(CH2CO2H)2. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in t ...
or
lactic acid along with
commercial yeast.
Traditional German pumpernickel contains no coloring agents, instead relying on the
Maillard reaction
The Maillard reaction ( ; ) is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor. Seared steaks, fried dumplings, cookies and other kinds of biscuits, breads, toasted marshmallows, and ma ...
to produce its characteristic deep brown color, its sweet, dark chocolate, coffee flavor, and its earthy aroma. To achieve this, loaves are baked in long narrow lidded pans 16 to 24 hours in a low-temperature, about , steam-filled oven. Like French
sandwich bread
Sandwich bread (also referred to as sandwich loaf) is bread that is prepared specifically to be used for the preparation of sandwiches. Sandwich breads are produced in many varieties, such as white, whole wheat, sourdough, rye, multigrain ...
, or a
pullman loaf
The Pullman loaf, sometimes called the " sandwich loaf" or "pan bread", is a rectangular loaf of white bread baked in a long, narrow, lidded pan. The French term for this style of loaf is '' pain de mie'', or, less commonly, ''pain anglais''.
...
, Westphalian pumpernickel has little or no crust. It is very similar to rye ''
Vollkornbrot'', a dense rye bread with large amounts of whole grains added.
Pumpernickel varieties are popular in the
Netherlands, under the name ''
fries roggebrood'' (Frisian rye bread—
Friesland is just over the border from the German Westphalia), where it has been a common part of the diet for centuries, and in
Denmark where is a
staple. German pumpernickel is often sold sliced in small packets in supermarkets, where it may be paired with
caviar
Caviar (also known as caviare; from fa, خاویار, khâvyâr, egg-bearing) is a food consisting of salt-cured roe of the family Acipenseridae. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or a spread. Traditionally, the ter ...
,
smoked salmon
Smoked salmon is a preparation of salmon, typically a fillet that has been cured and hot or cold smoked.
Due to its moderately high price, smoked salmon is considered a delicacy. Although the term lox is sometimes applied to smoked salmon, th ...
,
sturgeon, and other expensive products on an
hors d'oeuvres
An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the m ...
tray.
North America
While some commercial bakeries mass-produce pumpernickel bread for wholesale, many American shops, stores, and families use traditional recipes and bake times. Some mass-produced pumpernickel in North America may incorporate natural colorants such as
molasses
Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods. ...
,
caramel color
Caramel color or caramel coloring is a water-soluble food coloring. It is made by heat treatment of carbohydrates (sugars), in general in the presence of acids, alkalis, or salts, in a process called caramelization. It is more fully oxidized tha ...
,
coffee, or
cocoa powder
Cocoa may refer to:
Chocolate
* Chocolate
* ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree
* Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao''
* Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter an ...
among others to imitate the various shades of brown of traditional German pumpernickel. As is common modern commercial baking practice, commercial bakeries often add
wheat flour
Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...
to provide
gluten structure and increase rise, and commercial yeast to quicken the rise, compared to a traditional sourdough. In order to increase production and profits, the slow baking characteristic of German pumpernickel is forgone, resulting in a loaf indiscernible from dark
rye bread. Some shops and boutique bakeries in America still use centuries old recipes, often also selling other German foods. Pumpernickel is also a popular
bagel flavor in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
.
See also
*
List of breads
*
Rugbrød
*
Schwarzbrot
*
Jewish rye bread
Jewish rye bread is a type of rye bread commonly made in Jewish communities. Due to the diaspora of the Jews, there are several geographical variations of the bread. The bread is sometimes called sissel bread or cissel bread, as ''sissel'' means ...
*
Pumper Nic
References
External links
pumpernickelat the ''Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary''
How to make authentic German pumpernickel breadDescription of Schupp "bon pour Nicol" quotation
{{Authority control
German breads
Jewish American cuisine
Jewish baked goods
Jewish breads
Rye breads
Sourdough breads
Westphalian cuisine