OUR parents used to say, “Don’t play with your food!” but they never said anything about not using them as stationery.
Rye, wholewheat, baguette, sourdough and so many other versions, bread has been one of the world’s staple foods for as long as we know. But imagine if it was used as stationery at one time, like an eraser, for example.
Wouldn’t that be strange? Or maybe it isn’t so strange after all.
Is it true that bread was once used as an eraser?
Verdict:
TRUE
Strange? Not necessarily if you are a scientific instrument maker from 400 years ago.
With so many versions of erasers these days, many are even collector items for school children and teens alike.
It's hard to believe that this handy little erasing appendage only became standard over the last century or so.
For nearly 200 early years of pencils before erasers arrived, our ancestors relied on breadcrumbs for correcting graphite writing errors!
Pencil users used to simply ball up bits of bread moistened slightly to optimal erasing texture.
These improvised dough erasers worked nearly as effectively as modern erasers at clearing graphite smudges from parchment. The approach seemed obvious for versatile foodstuffs always near at hand.
Yet remarkably, the rescue role of humble breadcrumbs in facilitating early written communication was largely forgotten over the centuries that followed.
Of our modern erasers, optician and scientific instrument maker, Edward Nairne, is credited with popularising its use, which by his own account, was quite accidental.
So, the next time you have a bite of bread, this is a fun fact to share with your mates.
References:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-
https://factbrainiac.com/
