Who invented beer? History of the appearance of the drink

Who invented beer, for certain is unknown. The history of this drink goes back to the distant past. And even today is not known the name of the person who first welded such a now adored foamy elixir. Nobody knows exactly what country this nectar appeared in exactly the same way. Scientists put forward different versions, conduct research, try to establish the name of the country in which beer was first invented. But there are so many versions and theories that it is difficult to decide, and many states have the right to be called the homeland of froth.

Sumerians and Babylonians

Who invented the beer, it is not known, but it is precisely known that this drink is considered to be the most ancient alcohol product. Historians associate the origin of frothy nectar with Mesopotamia. On the territory of this country during the archaeological excavations Sumerian tablets were found from clay, on which were depicted brewers bending over the vat. The find dates back to the 7th millennium BC. The Sumerians also had a goddess of beer - Ninkashi Light Blasting. The deity was not only worshiped, but also entire poems were dedicated to her. Sumerian beer can not be called completely drunk, as it was cooked without adding hops. Pulp and barley were added to the liquid, as well as fragrant herbs to provide flavor. The strength of the final composition was three to four percent.

Babylonians - heirs of the Sumerians - improved the recipe for beer. They began to brew a drink from malt, and not from barley, as did their predecessors. 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 overstating the price of a drink was subject to the death penalty - drowning. For dilution of beer with water, the innkeeper was given a spoiled liquid until he died of terrible agony. If in the institution of the innkeeper was maintained a conversation about politics, then the owner of the institution was also sentenced to death.

Ancient Egyptian beer

On the question of who invented beer in Egypt, the scientists answer: the god Osiris. Such a conclusion they make, referring to one of the ancient Egyptian manuscripts. The priests, who Osiris taught brewing, became the only people who knew the secrets of cooking the divine nectar. Many pharaohs owned breweries. So, even Nefertiti owned the brewery, and on the walls of this establishment 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 malt. Onions, bread and, of course, beer made up the main food package of an ordinary ancient Egyptian resident. The center of brewing in this state was the city of Pelusium, which is why the product itself was called a "Pelusian drink". He had a special tax. During any holiday beer mixed together 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 what they despised in these countries is a fact. Here it was considered a drink of poor people who could not afford to regale themselves with wines. But, despite this, Hippocrates devoted a whole scientific treatise to the foamy elixir, and Aristotle made a conclusion that after being drunk with wine, a person staggers around, and after beer he falls back. The weakest beer was very strong and bitter for the Greeks, because they used to be blown with water, that's why their real taste was not felt to the full, but the ale was consumed in its pure form.

I did not like beer and the Romans. Drank it only on holidays in honor of Ceres - goddess of agriculture. Therefore in ancient Rome called the drink ceres. According to the learned historian Braudel, beer remained a "drink of the poor and barbarians" until the 10th century.

The appearance of beer in Africa

Who first came up with beer on the planet, it's hard to say. But the fact that it was known in Africa is a fact. Here it was a very common product. In Abyssinia it was brewed from the buckthorn and from hops. In some African regions, in which barley did not grow, millet was used for the production of alcoholic beverages, and for a stronger product - daguus.

In various rituals of the peoples of Africa, beer played an important role. At the funeral, near the body of the deceased, this drink was mandatory. Every person present at the rite should drink this composition. The peoples of the Guinea coast and Sudan were boiling an elixir of millet. But over time, millet was replaced by sorghum - another cereal crop. And in the XVI century sorghum beer became known in Europe.

The history of European beer

In what country came up with beer, to say exactly is incapable of any source. But in Europe it has been popular since time immemorial. In the Celts it was a traditional drink. In the I century BC, Posidonius mentions that he was preparing an elixir based on honey and wheat. At the same time in Gaul, beer was called corma and it was called a national drink. At the Germans it was a national product.

Among the excavations carried out in the UK, signs were found, the inscription of which amounted to the fact that someone asked to issue a decree on the delivery of beer to the legionaries, from whom it ended.

Ancient Vikings Beer

Where the beer was invented for the first time, no one will accurately say on the Earth. But the historical documents say that the formidable Vikings, who lived in the northern far regions, also owned the art of brewing. They used fir 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 consumed the drink. So, the beer that the Vikings brewed was called Odin's brother.

Any feast of this people was accompanied by incredible drunks. And the ability to drink more than your friend, was equated with military successes. The current tradition of pouring a late guest an extraordinary glass happened precisely from the Vikings.

The appearance of beer in Russia

It is also not known who invented beer and 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. Decoctions, which were based on beer and honey, were called digesters and were distinguished by a large fortress. These products paid tribute.

In the Old Russian state, the frothy brew and bread constituted the basic food package. The monasteries were the center of brewing, and the drink itself became ritual.

Nonalcoholic "fellow"

Today, besides traditional beer, it is popular also non-alcoholic. And who invented non-alcoholic beer, scientists can say for sure: Americans. At the time of the dry law in the United States, all drinks that contained ethyl alcohol were forbidden. All large manufacturing companies were threatened with complete bankruptcy. But one very large enterprise managed to continue its existence. Under the Budweiser brand, it produced the world's first non-alcoholic beer containing half a percent of alcohol.

Fans of traditional nectar liked the new product not immediately. But he helped the brewers not to go bankrupt. For more than a century and a half, the Anheuser-Buschc brand produces beer called Budweiser.

Intoxication with alcohol activates changes in human physiology, behavior and psyche. Therefore, in those countries where the majority of car accidents occur through the fault of drunk drivers, a decision has been made to mass produce a non-alcoholic foam product.