Who invented beer? The history of the drink

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Who invented beer is not known for certain. The history of this drink goes back to the distant, distant past. And even today the name of the person who first brewed the now so adored foamy elixir is not known. No one knows exactly in which country this nectar appeared. Scientists put forward different versions, conduct research, try to establish the name of the state in which beer was first invented. But there are so many versions and theories that it's hard to decide, and many states have the right to be called the birthplace of foam.

Sumerians and Babylonians

Who invented beer is not exactly known, but it is known for sure that this drink is considered the most ancient alcoholic product. Historians attribute the origin of foamy nectar to Mesopotamia. On the territory of this country, during archaeological excavations, Sumerian clay tablets were found, which depicted brewers leaning over a vat. The find dates back to the 7th millennium BC. The Sumerians also had a goddess of beer - Ninkasi Svetlostruynaya. The deity was not only worshiped, but entire poems were also dedicated to her. Sumerian beer cannot be called completely intoxicating, sohow they brewed it without adding hops. Spelled and barley were added to the liquid, as well as fragrant herbs to provide flavor. The fortress of the final composition was three to four percent.

The Babylonians - the heirs of the Sumerians - improved the recipe for beer. They began to brew a drink from m alt, and not from barley, as their predecessors had done. The Babylonians waged a serious struggle for the quality of the foam product. King Hammurabi (II millennium BC) issued a law according to which an innkeeper who inflated the price of a drink was subjected to the death pen alty - drowning. For diluting beer with water, the innkeeper was given spoiled liquid until he died from terrible agony. If the innkeeper's establishment maintained a conversation about politics, then the owner of the establishment was also sentenced to death.

Ancient Egyptian beer

When asked who invented beer in Egypt, scientists answer: the god Osiris. They make such a conclusion, referring to one of the ancient Egyptian manuscripts. The priests taught by Osiris to brew were the only ones who knew the secrets of preparing the divine nectar. Many pharaohs owned breweries. So, even Nefertiti owned a brewery, and on the walls of this institution a queen was depicted pouring a beer drink through a strainer.

In ancient Egypt, beer was brewed from barley, but in some cases it was replaced with wheat m alt. Onions, bread and, of course, beer were the basic food package of an ordinary ancient Egyptian inhabitant. The center of brewing in this state was the cityPelusium, which is why the product itself was called "Pelusian drink". There was a special tax on him. During any holiday, beer was mixed with honey or wine.

History of beer from Ancient Greece and Rome

It is not known who invented beer in ancient Greece and Rome. But the fact that in these countries he was despised is a fact. Here it was considered a drink of poor people who could not afford to enjoy wines. But, despite this, Hippocrates devoted a whole scientific treatise to the foamy elixir, and Aristotle concluded that after intoxication with wine a person staggers around, and after beer he falls back. The weakest beer was very strong and bitter for the Greeks, as they used to dilute wines with water, so their real taste was not fully felt, but ale had to be consumed in its pure form.

The Romans didn't like beer either. They drank it only on holidays in honor of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. Therefore, in ancient Rome they called the drink ceres. According to scholar-historian Braudel, beer remained "the drink of the poor and the barbarians" well into the 10th century.

The arrival of beer in Africa

Who first invented beer on the planet is rather difficult to say. But the fact that it was also known in Africa is a fact. Here it was a very common product. In Abyssinia, it was brewed from buckthorn and hops. In some African regions that did not grow barley, hop composition was used to producemillet, and for a stronger product - dagussa.

In the various rituals of the peoples of Africa, beer played an important role. At funerals, this drink was placed next to the body of the deceased without fail. Each person present at the ceremony had to drink this composition. The peoples of the Guinean coast and Sudan brewed an elixir from millet. But over time, millet was replaced by sorghum, another cereal crop. And in the 16th century, sorghum beer became famous in Europe.

History of European beer

In which country beer was invented, no source is able to say for sure. But in Europe it has been popular since time immemorial. Among the Celts, it was a traditional drink. In the 1st century BC, Posidonius mentions that he prepared an elixir based on honey and wheat. At the same time in Gaul, beer was called corma and it was called a folk drink. For the Germans, it was a national product.

Among the excavations in the UK, tablets were found, the inscription on which boiled down to the fact that someone is asking for a decree to deliver beer to legionnaires who have run out of it.

Ancient Viking beer

Where beer was invented for the first time, not a single person on Earth will say for sure. But historical documents claim that the formidable Vikings, who lived in the northern distant lands, also owned the art of brewing. They used spruce and pine needles instead of hops. As a result, the resulting composition was enriched with vitamins C and B, which supported the strength of people who used the drink. So, the beer that the Vikings brewed was called Odin's Braga.

Any feast of this people was accompanied by incredible drinking. And the ability to drink more than your comrade was equated with military success. The tradition that exists today to pour an extraordinary glass to a late guest came precisely from the Vikings.

Appearance of beer in Russia

It is also unknown who invented beer and in what year in Russia. The words "beer" and "drink" are consonant with each other. Previously, this word denoted all drinks in general. In the Novgorod birch-bark letters there is the first mention of beer. The decoctions, which were based on beer and honey, were called perevarov and were distinguished by a high strength. These products paid tribute.

In the Old Russian state, foamy brew and bread were the main food set. The monasteries were the center of brewing, and the drink itself became ritual.

Non-alcoholic "brother"

Today, in addition to traditional beer, non-alcoholic beer is also popular. And that's who came up with non-alcoholic beer, scientists can already say for sure: the Americans. During Prohibition in the United States, all drinks that contained ethyl alcohol were banned. All large manufacturing companies were in danger of complete bankruptcy. But one very large enterprise managed to continue its existence. Under the Budweiser brand, it released the world's first non-alcoholic beer containing half a percent alcohol.

Fans of traditional nectar liked the new productnot right away. But he helped keep the brewers from going bankrupt. For more than a century and a half, the Anheuser-Buschc brand has been producing a beer called Budweiser.

Intoxication with alcohol activates changes in human physiology, behavior and psyche. Therefore, in those states where the majority of car accidents are caused by drunk drivers, a decision was made to mass-produce a non-alcoholic foam product.