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Breadcrumbs

language culture Maturity 9-11 Next article →

Breadcrumbs are a very useful tool in the kitchen. They are made from flour or crumbled bits of bread.

971027-I'ANS-ATN-IMG 8790
971027-I'ANS-ATN-IMG 8790

People use them to make food more interesting. You can use them to coat meat before frying. This creates a crisp crust for foods like schnitzel. They also work well as a topping for casseroles. You might even use them to stuff poultry or thicken a stew.

There are a few different ways to make these crumbs. Dry breadcrumbs come from bread that is toasted or baked. This removes the moisture from the bread. The result can feel like sand or a fine powder. You can make them using a grater or a food processor. A steel blade can make coarse crumbs. A grating blade can make them very fine.

One very special type of crumb is called panko.

Baked panko crusted pork with pineapple sauce over udon
Baked panko crusted pork with pineapple sauce over udon

Panko comes from Japan. It is made from a special kind of bread. This bread is made by passing an electric current through the dough. This process makes a bread that has no crust. The bread is then ground into fine, airy slivers. These slivers stay very crisp when they are fried or baked.

We can look at the history of these words to learn more. The Japanese learned to make baked bread from the Portuguese. The word panko comes from two parts. The first part, "pan," is the Japanese word for bread. It comes from the Portuguese word "pão." The second part, "-ko," means flour or powder. Panko is now made all over the world. You can find it in Japan, Korea, and China. It is also in Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Breadcrumbs also appear in stories we know. In the tale of Hansel and Gretel, children use crumbs to find their way. They drop them to mark a path in the woods. However, birds eat the crumbs and the children get lost. Because of this story, we use the word "breadcrumb" in other ways. It can mean a way to track your place in a document. It is a small sign that helps you find your way back.

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File:Baked panko crusted pork with pineapple sauce over udon.jpg
Baked panko crusted pork with pineapple...
File:971027-I'ANS-ATN-IMG 8790.jpg
971027-I'ANS-ATN-IMG 8790.jpg
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