I read that some of the oldest sourdough starters in the US are kept in jail

I was looking up stuff on old sourdough cultures last week and came across a fact that made me laugh. Apparently, the San Francisco Boudin Bakery has a starter they call 'Mother Dough' that dates back to 1849, which is wild enough. But then I read that some prisons, like the one in Monroe, Washington, have kept their own starters going for decades because it's cheap and reliable. The idea of a sourdough starter being a prized inmate in a prison kitchen is just so funny to me. I picture guards doing a headcount on the crocks. It makes sense when you think about the constant feeding schedule fitting into a rigid routine. Has anyone else run into a starter kept in a really weird or strict place like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethp2612d agoProlific Poster

Wait, they've had the same sourdough starter in a prison since like the 80s or something? That's actually crazy to picture. I mean, how many different cooks have fed that thing over the years, through all sorts of lockdowns and stuff? It's probably seen more routine than some of the people in there. @lisa_carter31 has a point about the sad side, but man, the starter itself is just doing its job, outlasting everyone. It's weird to think a jar of goop is the most permanent resident.

lisa_carter3112d ago

That Monroe prison fact is actually kind of sad if you think about it. A starter lasting decades there just shows how stuck and unchanging the system is, using the same cheap food ideas forever. It is not funny, it is a sign of failing to improve or give people real food. Calling it a prized inmate makes light of a place where people lose their freedom. The routine might fit, but that is because prison life is meant to break down variety and choice, and the sourdough is just part of that.