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The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with beer. -- 2200 BC inscription
Scientists once believed ancient Egyptian beer was made from unleavened bread, but studies of residue on beer jars found in tombs is proving that Egyptian brewing methods were much more sophisticated. Egyptian beer was made from a mixture of barley, which was baked and dried to make malt, and a certain type of wheat called emmer, which took the place of hops. The emmer was allowed to sprout, it was then dried and crushed into flour. This flour was combined with the barley malt, and the two were mixed with an ample amount of water. The mixture was then divided into two. One half was set aside, while the other was cooked. Afterward, the two batches were rejoined, the liquid was strained and then left to ferment. After fermentation the brew was decanted into vessels and sealed for storage or distribution. Unlike the beer we know today Egyptian beer has been described as sweet and fruity because of the absence of hops. It contained no bubbles and was thick, requiring one to drink through wooden siphons (that look much like straws) because of the impurities. At times other sweet things such as dates, honey, and grapes may have been added to further sweeten the brew. Egyptians liked their beer cool and often toasted one another with “Here’s to your ghost!”. Not only was beer used as a daily staple, a ritual offering, and a paycheck but, it had medicinal advantages as well, for instance it was used to treat gum disease and dress wounds among other things. In my research I found that out of seven hundred ancient Egyptian prescriptions found, at least one hundred included beer. Beer was so prolific to the Egyptians that the scribes created an extra hieroglyph for the word, “Brewer.” Two authenticated names for brands of ancient Egyptian beer were Joy Bringer and The Beautiful and Heavenly. Mennefer (Memphis) and Waset (Thebes) were well known for the high quality of their beer. There were a wide variety of beers and different strengths which were calculated “by how many standard measures of liquid was made from one hekat (4.54 liters) of barley, therefore beer with a strength of two was stronger than a beer of strength ten.” |
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Written by Hilarity Hatshepsut with assistance from Sankira Qin. Site design by Sankira Qin. The authors wish to gratefully acknowledge MerytMaihes Osorkon, Sementawy Horemheb, Menes Mentuhotep, Marduk Hammurabi, Asenath Amenhotep, Mirjam Nebet, Shesmu Ramesses, and Kaz Matsudaira for their research and graphics assistance. | |