The oven used for baking bread was an essential tool in every community, often found in multiple examples serving one or several families. The one in Piatta is elevated and juts out from the house, giving the curious impression of a foreign body hanging from the wall. In the past, it was used exclusively to bake rye bread: also known as “poor man’s bread,” it is a black bread ring with a diameter of 15-20 cm that was traditionally baked only twice a year. The dough, consisting of rye flour, warm water, salt, and sourdough starter, was left to rise overnight and baked the next morning for about an hour. To maximize the oven’s efficiency, three to five batches were baked in the same day.
Bread baking was an exclusively female domestic activity, with secrets passed down from generation to generation. A piece of dough was rolled between the palms into a sausage shape about 30 cm long, and then the ends were joined to form a ring. The rye bread was stored in a cool place, out of the reach of mice, hanging from long sticks. It was very hard and consumed dry, serving as a reserve for the entire summer in the mountains and alpine pastures. According to a popular saying, “those who eat it frequently enjoy strong and healthy teeth.”
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