Beer and bread: favorite food of the ancient Egyptians

The ancient world of Egypt is known for its incredible culture, pyramids and sphinx, pharaohs and the once majestic and rich civilization that lived on the banks of the Nile River.

The Egyptians became famous for their culinary habits: they undoubtedly ate better than people of any other ancient civilization of the world. Most of the information that the ancient Egyptians ate and drank is contained in the paintings on the walls of the tombs. Many walls depict people who hunt, fish and work in the fields. In addition, information on the food culture in ancient Egypt is contained in scrolls.

Today we will present the Top 7 most beloved dishes in ancient Egypt.

Beer

Beer is the most popular and favorite drink among the ancient Egyptians. A drink of the gods, adults and even children. We drank beer daily. Be it breakfast or dinner, it has always been part of the meal. There was so much alcohol in the daily diet that it is not surprising that almost all Egyptians were doing well. The standard daily diet at the time of the pharaohs was two banks, each of which contained more than two liters. In addition, beer, along with bread, butter, vegetables, and some added spices, was an important part of the "ration" of wage earners received from their employers. It was believed that beer is a healthier drink compared to water from rivers or canals, which are most often polluted.

Beer making

Interestingly, the Egyptians borrowed the brewing technology from the Sumerians. However, among the Sumerians it looked like a thick mess, and its taste could hardly be called pleasant. The Egyptians improved the technology, and the result was their favorite drink.

Bread

Along with beer, bread was an essential food in the ancient Egyptian diet. But the bread they ate is very different from the one we used to consume today. Due to raw dishes and imperfect production, various mixtures and impurities, microelements: quartz, feldspar, mica and other minerals got there. Because of this, he was always rougher and heavier. Despite this, bread was the largest part of the diet in ancient Egypt.

Milk and other dairy products

With the advent of agriculture and agriculture in ancient Egyptian civilization, the practice of raising livestock has become more frequent. Among cattle, bulls were used exclusively for agriculture, but other livestock, such as a goat, a sheep, a cow, was kept for the milk that he gave. Cattle ranching was very popular, and the herd size allowed to demonstrate the prestige of the owners. In addition to consuming milk, other dairy products such as cottage cheese, whey and milk cream have also been used by people as popular delicacies.

Vegetables, lots of vegetables

Vegetables in ancient Egypt were eaten as an addition to regular dishes. Each year, due to the flooding of the Nile River, a significant part of the land surrounding the river was fertile and prepared for vegetation. Since most poor families settled around these shores, vegetables were a common food item consumed by them. However, they were also popular among wealthy Egyptians — vegetables were consumed along with other dishes, such as meat and bread. Onions, garlic, leeks, lentils, cabbage, radish, turnips, lupins and cucumbers were some of the most popular vegetables.

Fruits

Again, since most of the land became fertile due to annual flooding, the Egyptians grew and ate a lot of fruit. Apple, olive and pomegranate trees were brought to Egypt and grown there. Grapes and figs were also popular fruits. And the rich Egyptians, for example, loved coconuts, since they were considered an expensive delicacy.

Nutritional supplements

People in ancient Egypt consumed a lot of food additives and seasonings. First oil. The Egyptians used a lot of oil to create main courses. They had 21 names of various vegetable oils obtained from sesame, castor oil, flaxseed, radish, horseradish, etc. It is known that horseradish oil was more popular. They also preferred many spices, such as salt, anise, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, fenugreek, marjoram, mustard and thyme. In addition, sweeteners were also used - syrups from dates, grapes and figs.

Meat

But the meat, apparently, was available only to wealthy families. Fish and poultry are common on the dinner table of the rich. Poor people preferred fish that could easily be caught in the Nile.