10 Fascinating Facts About Alcohol You Didn't Know
9. The World's Oldest Known Recipe Is For Beer
When we think of mankind settling down to farm at the beginning of the Neolithic Revolution, we tend to imagine this coming about as a result of farming land for the purposes of making food. It's perhaps surprising to hear that more than a few archaeologists and anthropologists now attribute the rise of farming to our desire to brew beer above everything else - and the fact that the world's oldest recipe that we're aware of is for making beer seems to corroborate their theory. It wasn't too long after humanity started to settle down that writing became an increasingly common form of communication. The Sumerians were one of the first to get there with their pictorial Cuneiform tablets, one of which dating back nearly 4000 years gives clear instructions for the brewing of beer. Fittingly it is dedicated to Ninkasi, the Sumerian patron-goddess of - you guessed it - brewing. For the connoisseurs who like to be adventurous with their beer selection, a far older brew from ancient China - believed to be around 9000 years old and discovered at an archaeological site - is available to buy. Called Chateau Jiahu, those who've tried it report that it is "very smooth" and "not overly sweet" - something to consider packing on your next day to the beach.
When we think of mankind settling down to farm at the beginning of the Neolithic Revolution, we tend to imagine this coming about as a result of farming land for the purposes of making food. It's perhaps surprising to hear that more than a few archaeologists and anthropologists now attribute the rise of farming to our desire to brew beer above everything else - and the fact that the world's oldest recipe that we're aware of is for making beer seems to corroborate their theory. It wasn't too long after humanity started to settle down that writing became an increasingly common form of communication. The Sumerians were one of the first to get there with their pictorial Cuneiform tablets, one of which dating back nearly 4000 years gives clear instructions for the brewing of beer. Fittingly it is dedicated to Ninkasi, the Sumerian patron-goddess of - you guessed it - brewing. For the connoisseurs who like to be adventurous with their beer selection, a far older brew from ancient China - believed to be around 9000 years old and discovered at an archaeological site - is available to buy. Called Chateau Jiahu, those who've tried it report that it is "very smooth" and "not overly sweet" - something to consider packing on your next day to the beach.