The Helpful Machine You Might Come Across While Grocery Shopping In Europe

There are countless little differences between American and European grocery stores. Some are obvious, like pigs' feet lined up in butcher's cases, whole beady-eyed fish on ice with mouths agape, and Europe's general nonchalance towards displaying entire animal parts. Meanwhile, we Americans prefer our supermarket meat pre-packaged. Other things are more subtle, such as the larger breakfast cereal selection in the States, or the oddly controversial food label tourists should expect to see in the Netherlands. As a whole, however, they're quite similar, with aisles of recognizable grocery staples and different sections dedicated to dairy products, pastas, frozen goods, and more — but there is a European supermarket etiquette that Rick Steves advises tourists to be aware of. 

Something many European supermarkets have that you don't often find stateside is an automatic bread slicer. Common in countries like Portugal, Spain, Germany, and more, this helpful machine is located in the bakery section next to the large selection of fresh bready goodness. Shoppers can quickly and easily have their favorite loaf perfectly sliced and sandwich-ready. It's handy for bread-loving locals but could also save the day the next time you're in a European hotel or rental apartment and find yourself without proper kitchen tools. The automatic slicer could prevent a tiresome struggle with a dull knife, a countertop full of crumbs, and eating jagged-edged toast of drastically varying thicknesses.

Americans have generally preferred pre-sliced bread since the Chillicothe Baking Company in Missouri became the first to sell it back in 1928. It's part of a cultural difference in how we tend to grocery shop for the entire week. Therefore, our bread is pre-cut and designed to stay soft in the pantry for many days. In Europe, they stop to buy bread almost daily, choosing fresh loaves that go stale in a day or two. That's partly why bread feels lighter, fluffier, and overall better in Europe, and why they have bread slicers in the grocery store.

Slicers vary slightly by country and supermarket, but they're typically designed for loaves and don't work with baguettes or specialty rolls like ciabattas, which are easier to slice by hand anyway. Instructions are usually on the machine, and shoppers simply place the loaf in the corner, close the lid, and select their preferred slice thickness. The machine does the rest, quickly portioning the bread into sandwich-ready pieces. It's super handy, especially if, as mentioned, you find yourself in a European hotel or Airbnb wanting to make some toast with fresh bread but lacking a proper knife.

Apparently, while more rare, some do exist in the States. When TikTok user Christina (@cookingwithchow) showed their love for the bread slicer in Lisbon, a few Americans commented that they have the machine in their local grocery store. Lidl, a German chain, has slicers in some of their U.S. locations, but it appears many were removed during the pandemic. With the rising popularity of sourdough in America, maybe we'll start to see more fresh loaves and automatic slicers in our grocery stores.