Food: A Cultural Culinary History

Lecture 3: Egypt and the Gift of the Nile

 Many fruits—including fi gs, date palm, apples, plums, carob, and

pomegranate—were cultivated. Peaches, cherries, pears, and other

grafted trees came in Greco-Roman times. Olive oil was for the

most part imported, but in late dynastic Egypt, it was also grown

to a certain extent. Sesame oil and sesame paste (tahini) was also

important for cooking from about the 3rd century B.C.

 The Egyptians mostly used animal fats for cooking. Some nuts

and radish or lettuce seeds were pressed into oil. However, there

is no concrete evidence for frying foods. They didn’t have cheese

or butter, but they did use milk. In addition, salt and natron (which

was especially used for mummifying) were very important.

Darby, Food.

Mehdawy, The Pharaoh’s Kitchen.

Rivera, The Pharaoh’s Feast.

Egyptian Beer

Sophisticated archaeological techniques that have been developed in the

past few decades have allowed researchers not only to identify vessels that

stored beer in ancient times, but they also can identify exact ingredients as

well. Patrick McGovern at the University of Pennsylvania is the best-known

biomolecular archaeologist of ancient drinks, and he has even worked with

breweries to develop modern versions. Although they taste quite good, they

use modern strains of yeast and brewing protocols that are very different

from ancient practice. These are the dictates of modern regulations and the

demands of commerce—but at home, you can brew exactly as the ancients

did, using wild yeast and simple pottery vessels. Be prepared, though, it will

not taste like your standard fi zzy lager.

First, you will need barley, which must be whole, fresh, and not pearled,

which kills the seed. You are going to germinate the grains by sprinkling on

Suggested Reading

Culinary Activity