Sourdough Jar

sketchfab

For generations, skilled bakers, families, and travelers have depended on sourdough to produce delicious breads and sustain themselves. It's no surprise that people have been crafting high-quality containers for their sourdough! This particular one, originating from Florence, Italy, dates back to the 18th century. In warmer climates like this one, maintaining a healthy sourdough was a particularly daunting task, as bakers didn't have access to refrigeration; the microflora in these sourdoughs thrived in warm temperatures. To keep their sourdough alive, people had to regularly "feed" it with fresh flour and water multiple times a day and night. If they failed to do so, their sourdough would become too acidic and unusable for baking. Given the potential consequences, the responsibility of caring for the sourdough jar often fell to only the most experienced bakers.