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It’s barm, with an m, from barm cakes. Barm is the frothy scummy stuff you get on top of fermented beer, and it contains yeast. Back in the day bakers would tak
by wrboyce 12d ago
It’s barm, with an m, from barm cakes. Barm is the frothy scummy stuff you get on top of fermented beer, and it contains yeast. Back in the day bakers would take the barm from local brewers to make weakly fermented bread rolls… barm cakes.
(So obviously those calling them cobs or rolls or whatever else are just wrong!)
- podgietaru 12d agoI think that was just autocorrect to be fair. Barm isn't in the standard dictionary
- wrboyce 12d agoI suspected that might be the case, but I wasn’t about to turn down an opportunity to share one of my fun facts!
- KineticLensman 12d agoCan confirm. Per the (paywalled) Oxford English Dictionary [0]: 'barm' is The froth that forms on the top of fermenting malt liquors, which is used to leaven bread, and to cause fermentation in other liquors; yeast, leaven. OR The froth or foam on the surface of beer OR English regional (chiefly Lancashire). A soft round bread roll, a barm cake. [0] https://www.oed.com/dictionary/barm_n2?tab=meaning_and_use#27404461 https://www.oed.com/dictionary/barm_n2?tab=meaning_and_use#2...