Hard Roll

Durum panem
Donated by Carlee and Michael Drummer
1999

donated in 2001

Weight: 30 g
Diameter: 7.5 cm

a really hard dinner roll

In 1999, in the era when airlines still served meals, this dinner roll was part of an American Airlines “Bistro Bag.” The roll remained uneaten by the airline passenger. After returning from his trip, he set it on a shelf at work, but neglected to eat it. As time went by, he noticed that the roll remained unchanged. He left it on the shelf. Two years later, his wife recognized this as being a unique specimen of accidentally dried food, and the couple generously submitted it to the Museum.

A decade-and-a-half later, the dinner roll remains hard though its texture is becoming brittle and crumbly. It probably contains a preservative such as calcium propionate, which has likely contributed to the prolonged stability of the roll.  NEXT >

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