Why supermarket bread tastes like rubber and how to avoid it
Find out why most supermarket bread tastes like rubber, which few options are worth buying, and whether baking at home is the answer. Real data and experiences.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Why does supermarket bread taste like rubber?
If you have ever bitten into a supermarket loaf and felt like you were chewing cardboard-flavoured gum, you are not alone. The complaint is unanimous: industrial bread has lost all quality. But this is not 1980s nostalgia: there are industrial reasons and, according to some, even Machiavellian ones.
However, not all is lost. Seasoned shoppers point to a few exceptions: Mercadona's barra campesina (a rustic Spanish baguette), which also stays fresh for more than a day, and Carrefour's 'Pan de la abuela' (Grandma's bread) at €1.49. Aldi's mini ciabatta is another pick, though it always sells out. The rest, they warn, is best forgotten.
The definitive solution, as many suggest, is baking bread at home with quality flour and sourdough starter. It is the only way to guarantee a product that does not taste like pesticide, as one affected shopper vividly puts it. And for those who believe in global conspiracies, rest assured that bread in Germany is still excellent, even at the same Aldi.
So there you have it: if you want real bread, either become a baker or settle for gum with a crust. The satanic elites, if they exist, at least allow good bread to be baked in Bavaria.
If you have ever bitten into a supermarket loaf and felt like you were chewing cardboard-flavoured gum, you are not alone. The complaint is unanimous: industrial bread has lost all quality. But this is not 1980s nostalgia: there are industrial reasons and, according to some, even Machiavellian ones.
However, not all is lost. Seasoned shoppers point to a few exceptions: Mercadona's barra campesina (a rustic Spanish baguette), which also stays fresh for more than a day, and Carrefour's 'Pan de la abuela' (Grandma's bread) at €1.49. Aldi's mini ciabatta is another pick, though it always sells out. The rest, they warn, is best forgotten.
The definitive solution, as many suggest, is baking bread at home with quality flour and sourdough starter. It is the only way to guarantee a product that does not taste like pesticide, as one affected shopper vividly puts it. And for those who believe in global conspiracies, rest assured that bread in Germany is still excellent, even at the same Aldi.
So there you have it: if you want real bread, either become a baker or settle for gum with a crust. The satanic elites, if they exist, at least allow good bread to be baked in Bavaria.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (46 replies).
More summaries
-
Mercadona quality under scrutiny: what's wrong with Hacendado
Mercadona's quality myth is wobbling: supplier changes, less variety and rising prices. What's left of Hacendado's lead in Spain's supermarket wars?
-
Why small local shops still beat the supermarket
Better quality, fair prices and personal service: the case for small shops over supermarkets, and the generational gap that threatens their future.
-
La Sirena, the frozen food chain taking on Spain's Mercadona
La Sirena, the supermarket owned by José Elías, is winning admirers against Mercadona. Superior quality or overpriced frozen food: the battle is on.
-
Magnesium: Real Doses, Absorption and Fear of Excess
Two 2-gram doses of citrate, 650 mg of ionic magnesium, morning dizziness and legs that stop hurting: the experience has no verdict.
-
Aquaservice vs the 1.5-litre bottle: the math doesn't add up
The dispenser is free, but the water isn't: against bottled water at 0.19 cents a litre, home-delivered water jugs don't pay off for an ordinary household.
-
Closing an EVO Banco account: the zero balance that wasn't zero
He was told to empty the account to close it with EVO Banco, a Spanish online bank, but the bank then claimed there were pending amounts. The process stalls and tempers rise.