WINE AND DRINKS
15/05/2012 by Natasha M
I thought that woudl be a good time to talk about non-alcoholic drinks... so.. here we go...
Click on the picture to enlarge and read:
I thought that woudl be a good time to talk about non-alcoholic drinks... so.. here we go...
Click on the picture to enlarge and read:
...and this is not it... Alex suggested for me to write about food and wine paring. I thought it might be mot working anymore as now everthing goes with everything...
Winemarket website explains it really well.
What wine should I drink with lamb roast?
It’s all about classicism. Think about pairing cabernet sauvignon – especially those elegantly refined wonders from Coonawarra – with roast lamb, What’s the traditional accompaniment for roast lamb? Mint sauce, right? That’s why these wines are the perfect match, their distinctly regional hint of mint just sings in this situation. Roast beef love big, ballsy shiraz and we reckon Barossa works best. A great roast chook works well with complex chardonnay or aged semillon, and so does a great crackling pork roast. And if you’re thinking of roasting a duck and serving anything other than pinot noir you need your head read.
Dishes loaded up with chilli and spice usually get along with wine about as well as ferrets in a bag but if you apply a few general rules to pairing spicy food with wine, you can find some workable food and wine pairing options. Steer clear of overly woody wines at all costs, the chilli and spice will turn them into splinters in your mouth. Aromatic, unwooded whites like riesling and gewürztraminer are logical choices but if you really want red go for younger, fruit forward and lightly oaked shiraz or pinot noir. Cabernet, with its vigorous tannins, should be avoided like a drunk uncle.
Seafood should always be given the respect it deserves and treated simply so its natural flavours can shine through. All it really needs is a squeeze of lemon, so think of your wine matches the same. White wines with strong citrus characters, we're thinking Sauv Blanc here, are perfect paired with seafood. Chardonnay can work well with richer seafoods like lobster and even lighter reds like pinot noir can cuddle up to oilier fish like salmon and ocean trout.
Winemarket website explains it really well.
What wine should I drink with lamb roast?
It’s all about classicism. Think about pairing cabernet sauvignon – especially those elegantly refined wonders from Coonawarra – with roast lamb, What’s the traditional accompaniment for roast lamb? Mint sauce, right? That’s why these wines are the perfect match, their distinctly regional hint of mint just sings in this situation. Roast beef love big, ballsy shiraz and we reckon Barossa works best. A great roast chook works well with complex chardonnay or aged semillon, and so does a great crackling pork roast. And if you’re thinking of roasting a duck and serving anything other than pinot noir you need your head read.
Dishes loaded up with chilli and spice usually get along with wine about as well as ferrets in a bag but if you apply a few general rules to pairing spicy food with wine, you can find some workable food and wine pairing options. Steer clear of overly woody wines at all costs, the chilli and spice will turn them into splinters in your mouth. Aromatic, unwooded whites like riesling and gewürztraminer are logical choices but if you really want red go for younger, fruit forward and lightly oaked shiraz or pinot noir. Cabernet, with its vigorous tannins, should be avoided like a drunk uncle.
Seafood should always be given the respect it deserves and treated simply so its natural flavours can shine through. All it really needs is a squeeze of lemon, so think of your wine matches the same. White wines with strong citrus characters, we're thinking Sauv Blanc here, are perfect paired with seafood. Chardonnay can work well with richer seafoods like lobster and even lighter reds like pinot noir can cuddle up to oilier fish like salmon and ocean trout.
The flesh doesn't mean that vegetarians must forgo the goodness of the vine as well. In fact we reckon someone on a diet restricted to fruit, nuts and vegetables needs wine in their life more than anyone. Fresh summer salads pair beautifully with crisp, crunchy young whites like riesling or Sauv Blanc, while slow roasted winter root vegetables can pair up well with barrel matured chardonnay or rich red styles like shiraz or cabernet sauvignon. Like any food and wine matching it's important to think about weight and intensity in both the wine and the dish and try and keep both on par. And for those who follow the vegan approach may want to closely read the labels to see if there's any mention of egg or fish products used in the wine. Egg whites and the powdered swim bladders of sturgeon fish have traditionally been used as filtering agents in winemaking and while they're completely removed from the end product some especially strict vegans may want to avoid wines that use this process.
Which wines can I drink with pork?
Very versatile animal the pig. It gives us bacon, ham and crunchy crackling roasts and in a lot of cultures can be consumed from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. That versatility extends to the wines that go with it too. In a spicy asian pork stir fry it will pair well with riesling or sauvignon blanc, as a juicy, moreish roast pork will pair beautifully with a full bodied chardonnay and can even extend to pinot noir. And the best wine match for bacon? Well we're not going to confess to drinking at breakfast are we?
Which wine goes best with pasta?
Here's some advice that's more about a state of mind than specific focus on flavours. When we say ‘pizza’ we really mean all those things we like to eat lounging on the couch in our trackie dacks. It's nights like these that you need easy going, unassuming wines that pleasure the mouth without taxing the brain or plundering the wallet. We call them ‘pizza wines’ but they could just as easily be felafel wines, fish and chip wines, green chicken curry and pad thai wines. Good wines at everyday prices are rare and precious things. When you find one you like, buy up big.
Which wines can I drink with pork?
Very versatile animal the pig. It gives us bacon, ham and crunchy crackling roasts and in a lot of cultures can be consumed from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. That versatility extends to the wines that go with it too. In a spicy asian pork stir fry it will pair well with riesling or sauvignon blanc, as a juicy, moreish roast pork will pair beautifully with a full bodied chardonnay and can even extend to pinot noir. And the best wine match for bacon? Well we're not going to confess to drinking at breakfast are we?
Which wine goes best with pasta?
Here's some advice that's more about a state of mind than specific focus on flavours. When we say ‘pizza’ we really mean all those things we like to eat lounging on the couch in our trackie dacks. It's nights like these that you need easy going, unassuming wines that pleasure the mouth without taxing the brain or plundering the wallet. We call them ‘pizza wines’ but they could just as easily be felafel wines, fish and chip wines, green chicken curry and pad thai wines. Good wines at everyday prices are rare and precious things. When you find one you like, buy up big.
There is a wonderful website run by Fiona Bekket called Matching Food and Wine.You can find there almost everything for your matching exercise. incluidng Top Matching and Match of the Week, what wine to choose for food and what food t choose for wine... Just examples are in the pictures below:
One of the examples:
A Champagne (or sparkling wine) tasting and Russian-style smoked salmon and 'caviar' feast Posted on December 4 2010 at 07:54 In the run-up Christmas there’s not much time for time-consuming dinner parties so this tasting and light supper is a fun and indulgent way to entertain good friends. Ask each of them to bring a chilled* bottle of bubbly - Champagne or otherwise - provide a couple of your own, cover up the bottles and taste them ‘blind’. Great fun for a start to see who can spot the ‘real’ Champagne (don’t worry if you can’t - many professionals are fooled by these kind of exercises) and a delicious way to get into festive mood.
I’d include a well known brand such as Moet et Chandon or Veuve Clicquot, a ‘grower’s’ Champagne (I like Serge Mathieu in the Aube), a supermarket own brand Champagne, a good quality Californian sparkling wine such as Roederer Quartet (Anderson Valley Brut in the US) and a quality Australian sparkler such as Green Point but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t pop an easier-to-spot Prosecco or a Cava into the line-up.
Follow your tasting with a Russian-style smoked salmon and ‘caviar’ feast followed by a light grape and lemon tiramisu tart. Totally simple but none the less impressive for that.
* sparkling wine should always be chilled prior to opening otherwise the pressure in the bottle can create an explosive release of the cork
A Russian-style smoked salmon and ‘caviar’ feast once had a meal like this in St Petersburg with real caviar and fake Champagne or champanskya as they call it in Russia. I suggest you reverse that and serve real fizz and a caviar substitute. For eight people you will need:
A Champagne (or sparkling wine) tasting and Russian-style smoked salmon and 'caviar' feast Posted on December 4 2010 at 07:54 In the run-up Christmas there’s not much time for time-consuming dinner parties so this tasting and light supper is a fun and indulgent way to entertain good friends. Ask each of them to bring a chilled* bottle of bubbly - Champagne or otherwise - provide a couple of your own, cover up the bottles and taste them ‘blind’. Great fun for a start to see who can spot the ‘real’ Champagne (don’t worry if you can’t - many professionals are fooled by these kind of exercises) and a delicious way to get into festive mood.
I’d include a well known brand such as Moet et Chandon or Veuve Clicquot, a ‘grower’s’ Champagne (I like Serge Mathieu in the Aube), a supermarket own brand Champagne, a good quality Californian sparkling wine such as Roederer Quartet (Anderson Valley Brut in the US) and a quality Australian sparkler such as Green Point but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t pop an easier-to-spot Prosecco or a Cava into the line-up.
Follow your tasting with a Russian-style smoked salmon and ‘caviar’ feast followed by a light grape and lemon tiramisu tart. Totally simple but none the less impressive for that.
* sparkling wine should always be chilled prior to opening otherwise the pressure in the bottle can create an explosive release of the cork
A Russian-style smoked salmon and ‘caviar’ feast once had a meal like this in St Petersburg with real caviar and fake Champagne or champanskya as they call it in Russia. I suggest you reverse that and serve real fizz and a caviar substitute. For eight people you will need:
About 1 kg good quality finely sliced smoked salmon
3-4 x 50g jars of a caviar substitute such as Onuga (or, of course, caviar if you’re feeling wildly extravagant!)
1 x 284ml carton sour cream
1 mild, sweet white onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 large hard boiled eggs, peeled and finely chopped
3 lemons, cut into wedges
Black pepper
A selection of breads and crispbreads such as Irish brown soda bread, light rye bread or rye crackers and/or some blinis
All you need do is lay out the smoked salmon and put all the accompaniments in bowls or on serving dishes for people to help themselves. It really couldn’t be easier.
Recommended wine match: Champagne or dry Champagne-style sparkling wine (see above)
Grape and lemon tiramisu tart
This is an unbelievably easy and impressive looking tart with a tiramisu-style topping that goes wonderfully well with a sparkling moscato. The quantities given will serve 4-6 so make two tarts for 8. 230g pack of ready rolled puff pastry or 225g home made puff pastry rolled thinly into a 28cm (11 in) circle
2 large eggs, separated
2 level tbsp caster sugar + 1 tsp for sprinkling on the pastry
1 x 250g tub of mascarpone
2 1/2 tbsp Limoncello liqueur
250g/ 9 oz white seedless or halved and seeded grapes, rinsed and dried
250g/9 oz red seedless or halved and seeded grapes, rinsed and dried
1 level tsp icing sugar
3-4 x 50g jars of a caviar substitute such as Onuga (or, of course, caviar if you’re feeling wildly extravagant!)
1 x 284ml carton sour cream
1 mild, sweet white onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 large hard boiled eggs, peeled and finely chopped
3 lemons, cut into wedges
Black pepper
A selection of breads and crispbreads such as Irish brown soda bread, light rye bread or rye crackers and/or some blinis
All you need do is lay out the smoked salmon and put all the accompaniments in bowls or on serving dishes for people to help themselves. It really couldn’t be easier.
Recommended wine match: Champagne or dry Champagne-style sparkling wine (see above)
Grape and lemon tiramisu tart
This is an unbelievably easy and impressive looking tart with a tiramisu-style topping that goes wonderfully well with a sparkling moscato. The quantities given will serve 4-6 so make two tarts for 8. 230g pack of ready rolled puff pastry or 225g home made puff pastry rolled thinly into a 28cm (11 in) circle
2 large eggs, separated
2 level tbsp caster sugar + 1 tsp for sprinkling on the pastry
1 x 250g tub of mascarpone
2 1/2 tbsp Limoncello liqueur
250g/ 9 oz white seedless or halved and seeded grapes, rinsed and dried
250g/9 oz red seedless or halved and seeded grapes, rinsed and dried
1 level tsp icing sugar
You will need a large square baking sheet (about 31 x 33cm), lightly greased
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Take the pastry out of the fridge and let it rest for 10 minutes before you use it. Unroll it carefully onto the baking sheet, removing the greaseproof paper and cut about a 1 1/2 cm strip off round the edge to leave you with a 28cm circle. Lightly whisk the egg whites and brush a thin layer onto the pastry. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of sugar then prick the base all over with the prongs of a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes until puffy and brown. Leave on one side to cool while you make the topping. Tip the mascarpone into a bowl and gradually work in the Limoncello. Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining caster sugar until pale, thick and creamy. Gently fold the mascarpone mix into the eggs until thoroughly blended. When the pastry base is cool transfer it to a large serving plate or tray and spread over the creamed mascarpone with a spatula, taking it almost up to the edges. Scatter the grapes randomly over the surface so you get a nice mix of colours. Sift the icing sugar over the top and serve straight away or chill the tart for a couple of hours then sprinkle with icing sugar.
Note: this recipe contains raw eggs
Recommended wine match: great with a gently sparkling, sweet Moscato d’Asti or Asti
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Take the pastry out of the fridge and let it rest for 10 minutes before you use it. Unroll it carefully onto the baking sheet, removing the greaseproof paper and cut about a 1 1/2 cm strip off round the edge to leave you with a 28cm circle. Lightly whisk the egg whites and brush a thin layer onto the pastry. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of sugar then prick the base all over with the prongs of a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes until puffy and brown. Leave on one side to cool while you make the topping. Tip the mascarpone into a bowl and gradually work in the Limoncello. Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining caster sugar until pale, thick and creamy. Gently fold the mascarpone mix into the eggs until thoroughly blended. When the pastry base is cool transfer it to a large serving plate or tray and spread over the creamed mascarpone with a spatula, taking it almost up to the edges. Scatter the grapes randomly over the surface so you get a nice mix of colours. Sift the icing sugar over the top and serve straight away or chill the tart for a couple of hours then sprinkle with icing sugar.
Note: this recipe contains raw eggs
Recommended wine match: great with a gently sparkling, sweet Moscato d’Asti or Asti
We thought we might finish our talk with a little bit of history...
History of alcoholic beverages (from WIKI)
The discovery of late Stone Age beer jugs has established the fact that purposely fermented beverages existed at least as early as c. 10,000 BC.{Patrick, 1952, pp. 12-13}
India
Alcoholic beverages in the Indus valley civilization appeared in the Chalcolithic Era. These beverages were in use between 3000 BC - 2000 BC. Sura, a beverage brewed from rice meal, wheat, sugar cane, grapes, and other fruits, was popular among the Kshatriya warriors and the peasant population. Sura is considered to be a favorite drink of Indra.
The Hindu Ayurvedic texts describe both the beneficent uses of alcoholic beverages and the consequences of intoxication and alcoholic diseases. Ayurvedic texts concluded that alcohol was a medicine if consumed in moderation, but a poison if consumed in excess. Most of the people in India and China, have continued, throughout, to ferment a portion of their crops and nourish themselves with the alcoholic product.
In ancient India, alcohol was used by the orthodox also. Early Vedic literature suggests the use of alcohol by priestly classes.
The two great Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, mention the use of alcohol. In Ramayana, alcohol consumption is depicted in a good/bad dichotomy. The bad faction members consumed meat and alcohol while the good faction members were abstinent vegetarians. However in Mahabharata, the characters are not portrayed in such a black-white contrast.
Alcohol abstinence was promoted as a moral value in India by Mahavira, Buddha.
History of alcoholic beverages (from WIKI)
The discovery of late Stone Age beer jugs has established the fact that purposely fermented beverages existed at least as early as c. 10,000 BC.{Patrick, 1952, pp. 12-13}
India
Alcoholic beverages in the Indus valley civilization appeared in the Chalcolithic Era. These beverages were in use between 3000 BC - 2000 BC. Sura, a beverage brewed from rice meal, wheat, sugar cane, grapes, and other fruits, was popular among the Kshatriya warriors and the peasant population. Sura is considered to be a favorite drink of Indra.
The Hindu Ayurvedic texts describe both the beneficent uses of alcoholic beverages and the consequences of intoxication and alcoholic diseases. Ayurvedic texts concluded that alcohol was a medicine if consumed in moderation, but a poison if consumed in excess. Most of the people in India and China, have continued, throughout, to ferment a portion of their crops and nourish themselves with the alcoholic product.
In ancient India, alcohol was used by the orthodox also. Early Vedic literature suggests the use of alcohol by priestly classes.
The two great Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, mention the use of alcohol. In Ramayana, alcohol consumption is depicted in a good/bad dichotomy. The bad faction members consumed meat and alcohol while the good faction members were abstinent vegetarians. However in Mahabharata, the characters are not portrayed in such a black-white contrast.
Alcohol abstinence was promoted as a moral value in India by Mahavira, Buddha.
Persia
A major step forward in our understanding of Neolithic winemaking came from the analysis of a yellowish residue excavated by Mary M. Voigt at the site of Hajji Firuz Tepe in the northern Zagros Mountains of Iran. The jar, with a volume of about 9 liters (2.5 gallons) was found together with five similar jars embedded in the earthen floor along one wall of a "kitchen" of a Neolithic mudbrick building, dated to c. 5400-5000 BC.
Egypt
Brewing dates from the beginning of civilization in ancient Egypt and alcoholic beverages were very important at that time. Symbolic of this is the fact that while many gods were local or familial, Osiris was worshiped throughout the entire country. The Egyptians believed that this important god invented beer, a beverage that was considered a necessity of life; it was brewed in the home "on an everyday basis."
Both beer and wine were deified and offered to gods. Cellars and wine presses even had a god whose hieroglyph was a winepress. The ancient Egyptians made at least 17 types of beer and at least 24 varieties of wine. Alcoholic beverages were used for pleasure, nutrition, medicine, ritual, remuneration and funerary purposes. The latter involved storing the beverages in tombs of the deceased for their use in the after-life.
Numerous accounts of the period stressed the importance of moderation, and these norms were both secular and religious. While Egyptians did not generally appear to define drunkenness as a problem, they warned against taverns (which were often houses of prostitution) and excessive drinking. After reviewing extensive evidence regarding the widespread but generally moderate use of alcoholic beverages, the nutritional biochemist and historian William J. Darby makes a most important observation: all these accounts are warped by the fact that moderate users "were overshadowed by their more boisterous counterparts who added 'color' to history." Thus, the intemperate use of alcohol throughout history receives a disproportionate amount of attention.Those who abuse alcohol cause problems, draw attention to themselves, are highly visible and cause legislation to be enacted. The vast majority of drinkers, who neither experience nor cause difficulties, are not noteworthy. Consequently, observers and writers largely ignore moderation.
A major step forward in our understanding of Neolithic winemaking came from the analysis of a yellowish residue excavated by Mary M. Voigt at the site of Hajji Firuz Tepe in the northern Zagros Mountains of Iran. The jar, with a volume of about 9 liters (2.5 gallons) was found together with five similar jars embedded in the earthen floor along one wall of a "kitchen" of a Neolithic mudbrick building, dated to c. 5400-5000 BC.
Egypt
Brewing dates from the beginning of civilization in ancient Egypt and alcoholic beverages were very important at that time. Symbolic of this is the fact that while many gods were local or familial, Osiris was worshiped throughout the entire country. The Egyptians believed that this important god invented beer, a beverage that was considered a necessity of life; it was brewed in the home "on an everyday basis."
Both beer and wine were deified and offered to gods. Cellars and wine presses even had a god whose hieroglyph was a winepress. The ancient Egyptians made at least 17 types of beer and at least 24 varieties of wine. Alcoholic beverages were used for pleasure, nutrition, medicine, ritual, remuneration and funerary purposes. The latter involved storing the beverages in tombs of the deceased for their use in the after-life.
Numerous accounts of the period stressed the importance of moderation, and these norms were both secular and religious. While Egyptians did not generally appear to define drunkenness as a problem, they warned against taverns (which were often houses of prostitution) and excessive drinking. After reviewing extensive evidence regarding the widespread but generally moderate use of alcoholic beverages, the nutritional biochemist and historian William J. Darby makes a most important observation: all these accounts are warped by the fact that moderate users "were overshadowed by their more boisterous counterparts who added 'color' to history." Thus, the intemperate use of alcohol throughout history receives a disproportionate amount of attention.Those who abuse alcohol cause problems, draw attention to themselves, are highly visible and cause legislation to be enacted. The vast majority of drinkers, who neither experience nor cause difficulties, are not noteworthy. Consequently, observers and writers largely ignore moderation.
China
The earliest evidence of alcohol in China are wine jars from Jiahu which date to about 7000 BC.This early drink was produced by fermenting rice, honey, and fruit.
A variety of alcoholic beverages were used in China since Paleolithic times. Alcohol, known in Chinese as jiǔ was considered a spiritual food rather than a material (physical) food, and extensive documentary evidence attests to the important role it played in the religious life. "In ancient times people always drank when holding a memorial ceremony, offering sacrifices to gods or their ancestors, pledging resolution before going into battle, celebrating victory, before feuding and official executions, for taking an oath of allegiance, while attending the ceremonies of birth, marriage, reunions, departures, death, and festival banquets."
A Chinese imperial edict of about 1116 BC makes it clear that the use of alcohol in moderation was believed to be prescribed by heaven. Whether or not it was prescribed by heaven, it was clearly beneficial to the treasury. At the time of Marco Polo (1254–1324) it was drunk daily and was one of the treasury's biggest sources of income.
Alcoholic beverages were widely used in all segments of Chinese society, were used as a source of inspiration, were important for hospitality, were considered an antidote for fatigue, and were sometimes misused. Laws against making wine were enacted and repealed forty-one times between 1100 BC and AD 1400. However, a commentator writing around 650 BC asserted that people "will not do without beer. To prohibit it and secure total abstinence from it is beyond the power even of sages. Hence, therefore, we have warnings on the abuse of it."
Babylon
Beer was the major beverage among the Babylonians, and as early as 2700 BC they worshiped a wine goddess and other wine deities. Babylonians regularly used both beer and wine as offerings to their gods. Around 1750 BC, the famous Code of Hammurabi devoted attention to alcohol. However, there were no penalties for drunkenness; in fact, it was not even mentioned. The concern was fair commerce in alcohol. Nevertheless, although it was not a crime, it would appear that the Babylonians were critical of drunkenness.
The earliest evidence of alcohol in China are wine jars from Jiahu which date to about 7000 BC.This early drink was produced by fermenting rice, honey, and fruit.
A variety of alcoholic beverages were used in China since Paleolithic times. Alcohol, known in Chinese as jiǔ was considered a spiritual food rather than a material (physical) food, and extensive documentary evidence attests to the important role it played in the religious life. "In ancient times people always drank when holding a memorial ceremony, offering sacrifices to gods or their ancestors, pledging resolution before going into battle, celebrating victory, before feuding and official executions, for taking an oath of allegiance, while attending the ceremonies of birth, marriage, reunions, departures, death, and festival banquets."
A Chinese imperial edict of about 1116 BC makes it clear that the use of alcohol in moderation was believed to be prescribed by heaven. Whether or not it was prescribed by heaven, it was clearly beneficial to the treasury. At the time of Marco Polo (1254–1324) it was drunk daily and was one of the treasury's biggest sources of income.
Alcoholic beverages were widely used in all segments of Chinese society, were used as a source of inspiration, were important for hospitality, were considered an antidote for fatigue, and were sometimes misused. Laws against making wine were enacted and repealed forty-one times between 1100 BC and AD 1400. However, a commentator writing around 650 BC asserted that people "will not do without beer. To prohibit it and secure total abstinence from it is beyond the power even of sages. Hence, therefore, we have warnings on the abuse of it."
Babylon
Beer was the major beverage among the Babylonians, and as early as 2700 BC they worshiped a wine goddess and other wine deities. Babylonians regularly used both beer and wine as offerings to their gods. Around 1750 BC, the famous Code of Hammurabi devoted attention to alcohol. However, there were no penalties for drunkenness; in fact, it was not even mentioned. The concern was fair commerce in alcohol. Nevertheless, although it was not a crime, it would appear that the Babylonians were critical of drunkenness.
Greece
While the art of wine making reached the Hellenic peninsula by about 2000 BC, the first alcoholic beverage to obtain widespread popularity in what is now Greece was mead, a fermented beverage made from honey and water. However, by 1700 BC, wine making was commonplace, and during the next thousand years wine drinking assumed the same function so commonly found around the world: It was incorporated into religious rituals, it became important in hospitality, it was used for medicinal purposes and it became an integral part of daily meals. As a beverage, it was drunk in many ways: warm and chilled, pure and mixed with water, plain and spiced.
Contemporary writers observed that the Greeks were among the most temperate of ancient peoples. This appears to result from their rules stressing moderate drinking, their praise of temperance, and their avoidance of excess in general. An exception to this ideal of moderation was the cult of Dionysus, in which intoxication was believed to bring people closer to their deity.
While habitual drunkenness was rare, intoxication at banquets and festivals was not unusual. In fact, the symposium, a gathering of men for an evening of conversation, entertainment and drinking typically ended in intoxication. However, while there are no references in ancient Greek literature to mass drunkenness among the Greeks, there are references to it among foreign peoples. By 425 BC, warnings against intemperance, especially at symposia, appear to become more frequent.
(384-322 BC) and Xenophon (431-351 BC) and Plato (429-347 BC) both praised the moderate use of wine as beneficial to health and happiness, but both were critical of drunkenness, which appears to have become a problem. Hippocrates (cir. 460-370 BC) identified numerous medicinal properties of wine, which had long been used for its therapeutic value. Later, both AristotleZeno (cir. 336-264 BC) were very critical of drunkenness.
Among Greeks, the Macedonians viewed intemperance as a sign of masculinity and were well known for their drunkenness. Their king, Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), whose mother adhered to the Dionysian cult, developed a reputation for inebriety.
Rome
Bacchus the god of wine - for the Greeks, Dionysus - is the patron deity of agriculture and the theater. He was also known as the Liberator (Eleutherios), freeing one from one's normal self, by madness, ecstasy, or wine. The divine mission of Dionysus was to mingle the music of the aulos and to bring an end to care and worry. Scholars have discussed Dionysus' relationship to the "cult of the souls" and his ability to preside over communication between the living and the dead.
While the art of wine making reached the Hellenic peninsula by about 2000 BC, the first alcoholic beverage to obtain widespread popularity in what is now Greece was mead, a fermented beverage made from honey and water. However, by 1700 BC, wine making was commonplace, and during the next thousand years wine drinking assumed the same function so commonly found around the world: It was incorporated into religious rituals, it became important in hospitality, it was used for medicinal purposes and it became an integral part of daily meals. As a beverage, it was drunk in many ways: warm and chilled, pure and mixed with water, plain and spiced.
Contemporary writers observed that the Greeks were among the most temperate of ancient peoples. This appears to result from their rules stressing moderate drinking, their praise of temperance, and their avoidance of excess in general. An exception to this ideal of moderation was the cult of Dionysus, in which intoxication was believed to bring people closer to their deity.
While habitual drunkenness was rare, intoxication at banquets and festivals was not unusual. In fact, the symposium, a gathering of men for an evening of conversation, entertainment and drinking typically ended in intoxication. However, while there are no references in ancient Greek literature to mass drunkenness among the Greeks, there are references to it among foreign peoples. By 425 BC, warnings against intemperance, especially at symposia, appear to become more frequent.
(384-322 BC) and Xenophon (431-351 BC) and Plato (429-347 BC) both praised the moderate use of wine as beneficial to health and happiness, but both were critical of drunkenness, which appears to have become a problem. Hippocrates (cir. 460-370 BC) identified numerous medicinal properties of wine, which had long been used for its therapeutic value. Later, both AristotleZeno (cir. 336-264 BC) were very critical of drunkenness.
Among Greeks, the Macedonians viewed intemperance as a sign of masculinity and were well known for their drunkenness. Their king, Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), whose mother adhered to the Dionysian cult, developed a reputation for inebriety.
Rome
Bacchus the god of wine - for the Greeks, Dionysus - is the patron deity of agriculture and the theater. He was also known as the Liberator (Eleutherios), freeing one from one's normal self, by madness, ecstasy, or wine. The divine mission of Dionysus was to mingle the music of the aulos and to bring an end to care and worry. Scholars have discussed Dionysus' relationship to the "cult of the souls" and his ability to preside over communication between the living and the dead.
Several Native American
civilizations developed alcoholic beverages. Many versions of these beverages
are still produced today.
Pulque, or octli is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of the maguey, and is a traditional native beverage of Mesoamerica. Though commonly believed to be a beer, the main carbohydrate is a complex form of fructose rather than starch. Pulque is depicted in Native American stone carvings from as early as AD 200. The origin of pulque is unknown, but because it has a major position in religion, many folk tales explain its origins.
Balché is the name of a honey wine brewed by the Maya, associated with the Mayan deity Acan. The drink shares its name with the balché tree (Lonchocarpus violaceus), the bark of which is fermented in water together with honey from the indigenous stingless bee.
Tepache is a mildly alcoholic beverage indigenous to Mexico that is created by fermenting pineapple, including the rind, for a short period of three days.
Tejuino, traditional to the Mexican state of Jalisco, is a maize-based beverage that involves fermenting masa dough.
Chicha women were taught the techniques of brewing chicha in is a Spanish word for any of variety of traditional fermented beverages from the Andes region of South America. It can be made of maize, manioc root (also called yuca or cassava) or fruits among other things. During the Inca EmpireAcllahuasis (feminine schools). Chicha de jora and is prepared by germinating maize, extracting the malt sugars, boiling the wort, and fermenting it in large vessels, traditionally huge earthenware vats, for several days. In some cultures, in lieu of germinating the maize to release the starches, the maize is ground, moistened in the chicha maker's mouth and formed into small balls which are then flattened and laid out to dry. Naturally occurring diastase enzymes in the maker's saliva catalyzes the breakdown of starch in the maize into maltose. Chicha de jora has been prepared and consumed in communities throughout in the Andes for millennia. The Inca used chicha for ritual purposes and consumed it in vast quantities during religious festivals. In recent years, however, the traditionally prepared chicha is becoming increasingly rare. Only in a small number of towns and villages in southern PeruBolivia is it still prepared.
Pulque, or octli is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of the maguey, and is a traditional native beverage of Mesoamerica. Though commonly believed to be a beer, the main carbohydrate is a complex form of fructose rather than starch. Pulque is depicted in Native American stone carvings from as early as AD 200. The origin of pulque is unknown, but because it has a major position in religion, many folk tales explain its origins.
Balché is the name of a honey wine brewed by the Maya, associated with the Mayan deity Acan. The drink shares its name with the balché tree (Lonchocarpus violaceus), the bark of which is fermented in water together with honey from the indigenous stingless bee.
Tepache is a mildly alcoholic beverage indigenous to Mexico that is created by fermenting pineapple, including the rind, for a short period of three days.
Tejuino, traditional to the Mexican state of Jalisco, is a maize-based beverage that involves fermenting masa dough.
Chicha women were taught the techniques of brewing chicha in is a Spanish word for any of variety of traditional fermented beverages from the Andes region of South America. It can be made of maize, manioc root (also called yuca or cassava) or fruits among other things. During the Inca EmpireAcllahuasis (feminine schools). Chicha de jora and is prepared by germinating maize, extracting the malt sugars, boiling the wort, and fermenting it in large vessels, traditionally huge earthenware vats, for several days. In some cultures, in lieu of germinating the maize to release the starches, the maize is ground, moistened in the chicha maker's mouth and formed into small balls which are then flattened and laid out to dry. Naturally occurring diastase enzymes in the maker's saliva catalyzes the breakdown of starch in the maize into maltose. Chicha de jora has been prepared and consumed in communities throughout in the Andes for millennia. The Inca used chicha for ritual purposes and consumed it in vast quantities during religious festivals. In recent years, however, the traditionally prepared chicha is becoming increasingly rare. Only in a small number of towns and villages in southern PeruBolivia is it still prepared.
Cauim is a traditional
alcoholic beverage of the Native American populations of Brazil since pre-Columbian times. It is
still made today in remote areas throughout Panama and South America. Cauim is very similar to
chicha and it is also made by fermenting manioc or maize, sometimes flavored with fruit juices. The Kuna
Indians of Panama use plantains. A characteristic feature of the beverage is
that the starting material is cooked, chewed, and re-cooked prior to
fermentation. As in the making of chicha, enzymes from the saliva of the
cauim maker breakdown the starches into fermentable sugars.
Tiswin, or niwai is a mild, fermented, ceremonial beverage produced by various cultures living in the region encompassing the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Among the Apache, tiswin was made from maize, while the Tohono O'odham brewed tiswin using saguaro sap. The Tarahumara variety, called tesgüino, can be made from a variety of different ingredients. Recent archaeological evidence has also revealed the production of a similar maize-based intoxicant among the ancestors of the Pueblo peoples.
In addition, the Iroquois fermented sap from the sugar maple tree to produce a mildly alcoholic beverage.
Sub-Saharan
Africa Palm wine played an important social role in many African societies.
Thin, gruel-like, alcoholic beverages have existed in traditional societies all across the African continent, created through the fermentation of sorghum, millet, bananas, or in modern times, maize or cassava.
Tiswin, or niwai is a mild, fermented, ceremonial beverage produced by various cultures living in the region encompassing the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Among the Apache, tiswin was made from maize, while the Tohono O'odham brewed tiswin using saguaro sap. The Tarahumara variety, called tesgüino, can be made from a variety of different ingredients. Recent archaeological evidence has also revealed the production of a similar maize-based intoxicant among the ancestors of the Pueblo peoples.
In addition, the Iroquois fermented sap from the sugar maple tree to produce a mildly alcoholic beverage.
Sub-Saharan
Africa Palm wine played an important social role in many African societies.
Thin, gruel-like, alcoholic beverages have existed in traditional societies all across the African continent, created through the fermentation of sorghum, millet, bananas, or in modern times, maize or cassava.
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