Rēwena bread or Māori bread (; literally 'flour leaven') is a type of

sourdough bread Sourdough is a type of bread that uses the fermentation, fermentation by naturally occurring yeast and lactobacillaceae, lactobacillus bacteria to raise the dough. In addition to leavening the bread, the fermentation process produces lactic acid ...

from New Zealand. The bread is leavened with a fermented potato starter. It originated amongst the

Māori people Māori () are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of Māori migration canoes, c ...

and is closely associated with Māori cuisine.

Etymology

is the direct transliteration of the word 'leaven' referring to the biological leavening ingredient used as a

raising agent In cooking, a leavening agent () or raising agent, also called a leaven () or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action (gas bubbles) that lightens and softens the mixture. An altern ...

. is the direct transliteration of the word 'flour' which also functioned to refer to bread or dough. Another example of bread developed by the Māori people of New Zealand is (literally 'flour fried').

Preparation

Rēwena bread uses a

pre-ferment A pre-ferment (also known as bread starter) is a fermentation starter used in ''indirect'' methods of bread making. It may also be called mother dough. A pre-ferment and a longer fermentation in the bread-making process have several benefits: t ...

starter, also called a "bug". It is created by boiling and mashing potatoes, then adding flour and sugar. Māori potatoes () are commonly used for this purpose.

Kūmara The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...

, or sweet potatoes, may also be used. The mixture is then allowed to ferment from one to several days, depending on the ambient temperature and humidity. As with most sourdough breads, the starter can be maintained and used indefinitely, as long as the yeast is kept alive with regular feeding. The potato starter and fermentation lends rēwena bread its characteristic sweet and sour taste. The starter is then mixed with flour and water, kneaded, and baked, usually in a round loaf.

Cultural significance

Rēwena may also be used to break the Māori taboo associated with visiting a cemetery by crumbling the bread over hands in lieu of washing with water.

References

{{Potato dishes Māori cuisine New Zealand breads Sourdough breads Potato dishes