Egyptian Drink
Egyptian Drink
Egyptian Drink varied according to status and wealth.
The wealthy Ancient Egyptians had a a choice of beer or wine whereas the
poor could only afford to drink beer. The Ancient Egyptians dined at low
tables and ate food with their fingers. Food and drink was generally
served on earthenware dishes but the wealthy Ancient Egyptians were
served their drink on vessels made of:
-
Gold
-
Silver
-
Bronze
-
Faience
(Faience was a strong greenish blue glass-like material,
consisting of crushed quartz, lime and alkali, which first
made in Predynastic Egypt)
Egyptian Drink
- Beer
Everyone drank beer in Ancient Egypt, even the children. Their beer was
made from half baked barley loaves:
-
Barley loaves
were half baked - this process activated the yeast
-
The loaves were
then crumbled and mashed into a mixture of water and barley
-
The beer mixture
was then sealed in jars and left to ferment
-
The lumpy, thick
beer was then strained before serving in decanters
-
Beers which were
flavored with items such as dates and figs were also made
Egyptian Drink
- The Types Potency of the Beer
The potency of the beer was
generally believed to have an alcoholic content of between 8 - 9%. But
strengths could vary and these were stored in different colored jars
-
Beer stored in
red jars indicated a standard strength
-
Beer stored in
black jars indicated the most potent strength
-
Other colored
jars and containers indicated whether the beer had been
flavored
Egyptian Drink -
Wine
The Ancient Egyptians cultivated their own vines which produced both red
and white grapes. Wine was only drunk by the wealthy Ancient Egyptians.
The method for producing wine by first pressing the grapes and then
treading the grapes and the resulting liquid produced the finest wine. A
lower grade wine was produced from squeezing juice from the left over
pulp, pips and stems. Wine then had to be sieved before pouring. The
wine was placed in wine jars which were labelled to indicate the
vintage, or date of the wine. Wines were a favorite drink and came in
different varieties of red and white, sweet and dry. The items buried
with pharaohs included wine jars. In the tomb of King Tut, Tutankhamun,
a total of 36 wine jars, complete with date labels were found.
Ancient Egyptian Drink
- Wine Preservation
Ancient Egyptian wine preservation methods included the addition of
resin which acted as a preservative.
Ancient Egyptian Drink
- Other Types of drink
Although beer and wine were the main types
Ancient Egyptian drink the wealthy would also drink fruit juices and
milk. Water was not considered clean as the Nile was filled with
bacteria from waste and excrement.
Egyptian Drink
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provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of
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