july | august 2019 72
The Sourdough
Librarian
KARL DE SMEDT
Librarian of the Puratos World Heritage
Sourdough Library and Manager of Puratos Center for Bread Flavour
Saint-Vith, Belgium
questforsourdough.com
Follow on Instagram: @the_sourdough_librarian
In Saint-Vith, Belgium, about 100 miles southeast of Brussels,
stands a sleek library lined with refrigerated cabinets kept at a
cool 39°F (4°C), with shelves holding glass jars of living, breathing
starters from as far off as Japan, Australia, Mexico, Italy, and France.
Every library needs a librarian. Meet Karl De Smedt, professional
sourdough starter nurturer and researcher. Karl has traveled far
and wide to secure some of the most diverse starters in the world,
and you can visit the library to see them for yourself. Now presiding
over 115 starters from more than 20 countries at Puratos Sourdough
Library, Karl is preserving the precious culture of sourdough,
one microbe at a time. According to Karl, whose personal starters
are named Barbara and Amanda, each starter is as unique as a
thumbprint, but we asked him to call out three of his favorites and
share their fantastic stories.
BIROTE STARTER
Origin: Don Fernando del Leo; Guadalajara, Mexico
What makes it special: This starter from a bread baker in
Guadalajara is key to making birote salado, a loaf signature to Mexico
that is similar to a shortened baguette but baked in a stone oven.
What really sets it apart is how it’s fed: with a unique concoction of
beer, limes, and eggs.ANPAN STARTER
Origin: Kimuraya Bakery; Tokyo, Japan
What makes it special: To make anpan, a Japanese sweet bread often
fi lled with red bean paste, you need a fermented starter that is made
completely without traditional fl our. Containing a blend of rice,
malted rice, and water, this starter was submitted by a Japanese
bakery. It delights and surprises all visitors.YUKON SOURDOUGH STARTER
Origin: Ione Christensen; Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
What makes it special: Submitted by home baker and former
Canadian senator Ione Christensen, this starter—one of the oldest
in the library—comes from a literal golden age of sourdough: the
Yukon gold rush. Ione’s great-grandfather hiked from Alaska to
Dawson City, Yukon, Canada, searching for gold, with this starter
nourishing him along the way. Her family has kept it alive since
1897, and her signature dish to make with it is waffl es.