The love of beer transformed our civilization…
Around 3,000 B.C.E ancient Egyptians learned to domesticate wheat and barley.
And this allowed for civilization to transition from living as nomads to living a fixed lifestyle.
But why did the ancient Egyptians learn to harvest these crops?
The arguments around this topic center around two options: beer and bread.
Large scale breweries located next to pyramids actually suggest that it was beer that was the prime motivator for cultivating these grains.
Why?
Although we now see beer as being more recreational than a necessity it was actually the most efficient way of delivering nutrients to our bodies at that point.
In fact, it was a dietary staple, like an enriched liquid bread that provided calories and essential vitamins while delivering hydration in a more sterile way than water could.
Imagine all the energy that would be necessary to build the pyramids…
The right nutrients would be needed to build some of the world’s greatest structures.
Around the same time the fermentation process in beer also came to be understood in other areas such as bread.
And together these two advancements helped to transform Egyptian society and the rest of human history.
So, why am I telling you this?
Two reasons.
- I love to make bread in this ancient kind of way, just whole grains and salt water.
- Not all carbs are created equally
It seems like more and more people have recently become gluten-free and anti bread.
But why, if it has helped to sustain humanity for thousands of years?
The answer is in the way that bread is made today.
Much of it is processed and many of the nutrients that make bread a great source of energy have been removed.
The creation of white bread as we know it has actually led to and epidemic of chronic diseases such as gluten intolerance.
Don’t be afraid of real bread.
Many people who are gluten-free report being able to eat bread when it’s made the natural way.
So go explore more of these ancient grains like wheat, barley, millet, brown rice and spelt.
Because when they’re not processed they’re PACKED with nutrients.
See what the rave was all about 5,000 years ago. Eat whole grains!
Happy Cooking,
Joanna
P.S. Wheat was also used as a form of currency in the Ancient Egyptian economy
P.S.S. If you shop for bread, look for the label 100% WHOLE GRAIN, not simply 100% whole wheat to be sure you’re getting real whole grains and not the processed junk.
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