Archaeology of ancient Egyptian beer

Abstract

Beer was a staple food in ancient Egypt and important in all aspects of life, but until recently, very little of the brewing process has been well understood. An archaeological approach to the study of ancient Egyptian brewing has focused primarily on the desiccated remains of cereal-based, starchy beer and brewing by-products. The microstructure of these residues is outstandingly well preserved and can be studied using scanning electron microscopy. The state of the starch has been used to determine the ancient processes used for brewing. Strong evidence for malting comes from pitted and channeled starch granules present in most of the beer residues. Gelatinization indicates that cereals or cereal products were heated while moist, but the degree of heating and the level of moisture appear to have varied. Evidence is presented for different possible cereal processing methods, and the subsequent mixture of products to create the final beer. Arguments are presented against the traditional view that ancient Egyptian beer was made from bread and that dates were a standard ingredient.