History Embalmed

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
Each section of this Egyptian website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of Egypt. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of Egypt, the Ancient Egyptians and of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, King Tut.

Ancient Egyptians

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