Imperial Table Bread
An Entry in the Encyclopaedia Exilum Novum, Year 499 AR
“No citizen’s table is truly set without the bread that honors Sol Invicta.”
Imperial Table Bread is a delicious and indispensable staple found on nearly every dinner table in the Empire, from the humblest peasant hovel to the opulent banquet halls of Nova Roma. It is served at nearly every meal, breaking the fast of legionnaires and closing the feasts of senators alike. A soft, fragrant loaf with a golden crust, it symbolizes prosperity, piety, communal unity, and the bounty of Sol Invicta.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
Leavened dough traps air and steam during baking, creating a light crumb beneath the crust. Round form and ritual blessing are believed to instill favor from Sol Invicta.
Manufacturing process
Flour is mixed with salt and leavening, kneaded thoroughly, allowed to rise, shaped into rounds, brushed with oil, scored, and baked in preheated ovens. Festival variants include additional herbs and seeds.
History
Earliest mentions date to 2 AR, where Senate records note its distribution to newly settled Rift-born communities. Standardized in form and recipe by decree of Emperor Quintus Aurelius in 57 AR. Known variants emerged over time, including the Festal Loaf and Sun-Blessed Bread.
Significance
Symbol of Imperial unity and the bounty of Sol Invicta. Considered an essential cultural and religious foodstuff.
Ubiquitous; even in times of hardship, some form of table bread is present
Wheat flour, barley flour, water, salt, wild yeast, olive oil
Kneading troughs, clay or stone ovens, ritual blade for scoring
Related Festivals
Aeternis
Related Organisations
Inspectores Frumenti
Comments