A History of the World in 6 Glasses
By Tom Standage
Well
after reading about water, now I'm on to other beverages. Once people began to settle down, from being hunter gatherers, they
started to develop drinks. The book covers 6 drinks that helped influence history. Bear, wine, spirits, tea, coffee, coca-cola.
I wouldn't really say I enjoyed reading the book. It was lacking something. Maybe it was that it seemed more like 6 chapters of facts about each drink. I'm not sure. Anyway my notes contained some interesting bits about each drink. If you want way more information then read the book. But here's the gist.
The
first drink other than water was beer. With wine following. The
beer was of low alcohol content and was drunk early into the
fermentation process. This provided the drinker with B vitamins and
other nutrients to help supplement the diet. At first the jars of beer
would have had the chaff, grains and more floating in it so drinkers would
sip through a straw. In a show of trust and unity they drank from the
same vessel. Today when we say cheers and clink glasses it celebrating drinking together from the same vessel.
Wine
was expensive, having to be imported from the middle east. Originally
it was reserved for the rich and even the Greeks, who drank wine at all
social ranks, had different qualities of wine that were served depending
on ones standing. This was carried on to an even greater degree by the
Romans. Wine was usually drunk diluted with water. The wine providing
antibacterial properties to in effect render the water safe in some
cases. It was also more sterile than plain water and helped (though at
they time they didn't understand why) wounds when poured onto them to
help prevent infection.
The Greeks exported much wine. Sunken ships have had upwards of 333,000 modern days wine bottles on board!
Distilled
spirits. Distilling probably started with the Egyptians to make
perfume. The Arabs in Spain, invented, popularized alcohol. It
didn't spoil like wine and beer. It was concentrated wealth. It also
helped to create nations, move people around the world
and subjugate locals. Rum became popular as it made use of the waste
from sugar plantations. Molasses. It was cheap to acquire the raw
materials and to distill. It didn't spoil as readily and was strong!
Buying from duty free is remembering the anti-establishment fighters who protested excise taxes
Coffee started in Arabia. It was the only source until the late 17th century. Then quickly spread around the world by the Dutch, French etc. To the far east and the new world.
Coffee
houses helped to start revolutions both political, scientific, business
by allowing for free discussion of idea without regard to class.
Interestingly in the beginning of it's introduction both in Arab world and Europe there were those who wanted to ban it. Muslim's basis was that
it was intoxicating and forbidden by Islam. Europe for other reasons.
Tea. China started 100BCE. Japan 6th century. Popular by 1191. Europe early 17th century.
Antibacterial
properties in tea help to make the water it is boiled in safer to
drink. Leading to an increase in the health of the drinkers.
China
held a monopoly on tea until it was broken by the British east Indian
company. Then India became the largest grower. Industrial methods were
used to lower the price to 3/4 that of Chinese tea.
Coke supplies 3% of humanity's total liquid intake.
