Hard and bland: the Bourbaki biscuit

We probably cut our teeth on the Bourbaki biscuits that still exist today: The historic pastry is over 150 years old and was already considered hard and bland around 1871.

Elegant strategy
The name Bourbaki biscuit says it all: it is actually a “zwieback”, a double-baked bread. The “zwiebacking” of the grain, which was otherwise carried raw in the army, reduced the soldiers’ transport load. The French Emperor Napoleon I was also inspired by this “biscuit trick”. Under him, the previously common "pain de munition" now gave way to the biscuit made from especially highly ground wheat and rye flour. The high degree of grinding resulted in a large amount of bran being removed, which made the “pastry” particularly delicious. The saltless dough only occasionally contained a little yeast and was baked until dry. Supposedly, the Bourbaki biscuit was difficult to chew and only very tentatively soaked through even when dipped in soup. Our modern idea of a sweet delicacy might find this historic pastry quite challenging.

Souvenir
The Bourbaki soldiers occasionally gave away their hard provisions as souvenirs to the helping civilian population during their internment: 40 to 50 copies have survived in Switzerland. Many bear carved messages. One such specimen is also in the Bourbaki Panorama's collection. Its inscription is now barely legible. Far more information is contained in a biscuit, which was once in the possession of the Lucerne bakery school Richemont, but has since fallen victim to flooding. Along one corner is written: “3 biscuits for 5 days.” And carved into the heart: “Remembrance of the War of 1870 and the Bourbaki Army”. The latter was corrected later: "Retreat of the" is engraved in an arch above “Bourbaki Army”. There is no doubt that the experience of flight and retreat had an existential impact on the Bourbakis. One question remains: how did the holes get into the Bourbaki biscuit?