Germans and their bread

There is an article about bread in this month's issue of Deutsch Perfekt, a magazine for people learning German.  I've know since I got here that bread is one of the foods that Germans do really well (along with beer, cakes, and meats).  The article says that Germans eat 52 kg of bread per household per year.  But it never gets boring, because there are over 300 different kinds of bread in Germany, more than any other country, and over 1,200 varieties of rolls and mini-breads.  They use wheat and Rye, like we Americans, but they also use grains that are rare in the U.S., like Dinkel. (I think that's Spelt in English.)  One reason for the variety is that Germany was made up of many Principalities, Duchies, and other small states from the time of the Germanic tribes through the Holy Roman Empire up to the time of Kaiser Wilhelm.  So the kultur wasn't homonginized like it was in countries made up of Kingdoms.  Germans still have many names for the heel of the loaf, like Scherzl in Bavaria or Knäuschen in Saarland. 

Some recipies are quite complicated. According to the original German recipe for Pumpernickel, the rye meal is boiled for hours to soften it. The dough is baked in a square bread form at 395°F (200°C). Afterward, it is steamed at 215°F (100°C) for 16-24 hours. This allows the ingredients to caramelize, giving the bread its dark brown color and its lightly sweet aroma and taste.

By the way, the origin of the name "Pumpernickel", although not known for certain, has three popular explanations:

1. One explanation comes from the town of Osnabrück. During a famine in 1450, local officials ordered a special bread to be baked for the poor. The bread was named bonum paniculum, meaning "good bread." Since the people didn't understand Latin, they pronounced it "Bompernickel," then over time it became known as "Pumpernickel." Today, in Osnabrück, the Pumpernickel Tower (Pernickelturm) still stands. This is where the bonum paniculum is said the have been baked. 
2.  Another story that people like to tell is about a french soldier and his horse "Nickel." In the 18th century, as the frenchman was traveling through Westphalia, he was offered some dark bread by a farmer. He refused the bread and stated that it was "bon pour Nickel" - good for his horse, Nickel.
3. The third explanation goes deep into German language history. "Nickel" was the shortened version of the name for Nikolaus. "Pumper" was the word for flatulence (gas). So, putting the words together, the word Pumpernickel meant Nikolaus' gas

There are several museums dedicated to bread.  We visited one  in Ulm called the Museum of Bread Culture.