The Rye Bread Marriage (book)
The Rye Bread Marriage (book)
A rye-bread memoir, The Rye Bread Marriage (Algonquin Books, 2023) is a culinary history about rye bread, telling the story of a marriage that unites two very different people, both with roots in rye-bread-loving Eastern Europe. Black Rooster Rye bread is the subject of the book, and it is a lens enabling the author to tell her husband [John Melngailis]’s dramatic family story and her own Jewish American story.
Michaele Weissman is a freelance journalist and author who writes about food, families, and American culture. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and dozens of other online and paper publications. She is the co-author with Carol Hymowitz of A History of Women in America, a narrative history that has sold nearly 250,000 copies since its publication in 1980. More recently, she is the author of God in a Cup, a travelogue and exploration of the specialty coffee scene.
Higher fiber & antioxidants than wheat bread · lower glycemic index · research-linked anticarcinogenic properties
The Story
One hundred percent sourdough rye bread is a staple in and central to Latvian culture, identity, and culinary practice. For over a thousand years Latvians have been baking this bread—using rye flour, rye sourdough starter, a hint of caraway, and little else—in 900°f wood-burning ovens.
Three Signature Loafs
Baltic Rye
Handmade with 100% rye flour, our Baltic Rye is a dense, hearty sourdough bread that stays fresh and tasty for weeks.
Fruits & Nuts
Our classic 100% rye sourdough bread loaded with hazelnuts and dried fruits (apricots, prunes, and raisins).
Blonde Baltic Loaf
Known in Latvian as Saldskābmaize ("sweet and sour bread"), this loaf is more protein-rich and a bit sweeter than our Baltic Rye.