OP: El Pan en Chile

Hueders, Santiago, Chile, 2016. Hardcover. Near Fine.

Upon the 130th anniversary of Santiago bakery San Camilo, third generation baker Alberto Ferran had the idea to celebrate with a book, documenting Chile’s long history of breadmaking, which, as far as he knew, had not been done before. This 2016 book is the culmination of over 100 interviews with industry professionals and visits to dozens of bakeries throughout the country.

From bread oven builders and basket weavers to the artisanal bakers themselves, El Pan en Chile is a thorough exploration of bread’s cultural significance in the country. More than simply food or fuel, the staple is treated as a human right, so much so that past governments fixed the price of bread, making it immune to inflation (despite rising costs of wheat and electricity).

Handsomely illustrated with color photography, this is an attractively designed book which has much to reveal to the uninitiated. So engrossing is the text, you’ll almost forget to regret the absence of recipes.

Near Fine, without jacket, as issued. In Spanish.