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Food & Drink in Ancient Egypt Slide Show (EXAMPLE!)

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Food & Drink in Ancient Egypt Slide Show (EXAMPLE!)

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Lost Ancient High Technology Of Egypt Before The Pharaohs Part

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Mystery Teachings of Ancient Egypt Revisited Part

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FOOD AND DRINK IN ANCIENT EGYPT SLIDE SHOW

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Uploaded by Raina Gilchrist on 2016-05-02.

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Information about how the Ancient Egyptians grew food and what they ate and why. This video is aimed at Key Stage 2 (Primary school children) based on the easy and straight to the point information. Let me know if you would like a more detailed video.

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Ancient Egypt was known for its prodigious culture, the pyramids, the sphinx, and the pharaohs of this once-majestic civilization on the banks of the Nile.

And when it comes to the culinary habits of the people of ancient Egypt, it is clear that they ate much better than people of any other ancient civilization in the world, particularly contemporary civilizations. Much of the information about what the ancient Egyptians ate and drank comes from pictures on tomb walls, offering trays and food left in the tombs, and scrolls of hieroglyphic writings. The most common artwork found is of the growing, finding, or preparation of food. Many tomb walls also show pictures depicting people hunting, fishing, and working in the fields. Here is a list of the top 10 most popular ancient Egyptian foods:

10. Poultry Products

Poultry was popular among both the rich and the peasants of ancient Egypt. The most commonly consumed poultry included geese, swans, ducks, quails, cranes, pigeons, and even doves and ostriches. Pigeons, geese, ducks and other domestic poultry were considered more popular among the richest ancient Egyptians, and cranes, swans, and wild ostriches would end up as the hard-earned kills of the poor. Duck, swan and goose eggs were also regularly consumed. Most of the time, poultry was not eaten as soon as it was produced, but preserved with seasoning for a longer period of consumption.

9. Milk and Other Dairy Products

The advent of agriculture and farming saw an increase in the sustained practices of cattle farming in ancient Egypt. Bulls were exclusively used for the purpose of farming, but other livestock such as goats, sheep, and cows were raised for their milk. Cattle farming was very popular, and the size of the herd would represent the prestige of the owner, as well as that of the temple that worshiped those animals. Apart from consuming milk, other dairy products such as curd, whey, and cream were also consumed as popular delicacies. However, based on whichever temple people followed, certain types of dairy products including milk were forbidden in certain places.

8. Vegetables, Lots of Them

Vegetables were eaten by the ancient Egyptians as a complement to their regular meals. Every year, due to the flooding of the Nile, much of the land surrounding the river was fertile and ripe for cultivation. Since, most poor families settled on its banks, vegetables were a common foodstuff among the poor. However, they were equally popular among well-off Egyptians too, vegetables being consumed along with other foods such as meat and bread. Onions, garlic, leeks, lentils, cabbage, radishes, turnips, legumes, and cucumbers were among the most popular vegetables to be grown and consumed.

7. Fruit

Again, since a lot of land was fertile due to the annual flooding of the Nile, a variety of fruits were grown and eaten by the Egyptians. It is difficult to account for all varieties of fruits that were eaten in ancient Egypt, but there is known documentary evidence of fruits which were high in sugar and protein being popular. Apple, olive, and pomegranate trees were brought to Egypt sometime around the reign of Hyksos or later. Grapes and figs were also popular fruits when they were available. Coconuts, on the other hand, were imported luxury goods which could only be afforded by rich Egyptians. The presence of many such fruits in people's daily diets can be seen from the remains found in several tombs.

6. A Wide Variety of Juices

Though not as widely popular as other food products made from fruits (namely beer and wine), fruit juice was enjoyed by a number of people in ancient Egypt. Citrus fruits which had a sweet taste were primarily used for fruit juice. Most popular were grapes and figs, which the Egyptians would press until every drop of juice was drained out of them. As well as honey, the syrup made from unfermented grape juice and other fruits such as raisins, dates, figs, carob, and even the root of the chuba, a plant growing in the delta marshes, had a nice sweet flavor and was also used for sweetening purposes.

5. Food Additives

The ancient Egyptians used a lot of food additives and seasoning, mainly oil, in cooking. They had 21 different names for the different vegetable oils obtained from sources like sesame, castor, flax seed, radish seed, horseradish, safflower, and colocynth. Horseradish oil was known to have been very popular. They also liked a lot of spices like salt, aniseed, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, fenugreek, marjoram, mustard, and thyme. Sugar itself did not appear in ancient Egypt until many years down the line, but sweeteners like syrups made from dates, grapes, and figs were used for sweetening purposes.

4. Meat

It is assumed, though not widely supported by evidence, that readily available meat sources such as fish and poultry were staples in the diets of the poor, but Egyptologists believe that it was for the most part the rich people who regularly feasted on meat. As well as game hunted in the delta region or the desert, people kept various kinds of domesticated animals, some exclusively as sources of meat, such as geese, certain breeds of cattle and, until the New Kingdom, oryx antelopes for temple offerings. Beef was generally expensive and would at most have been available once or twice a week, and then mostly for royalty. The poor preferred poultry such as goose, duck, quail, and crane, which saw a turnaround when domestication started from the time of the New Kingdom. Most of the edible fish from the Nile was consumed, with the exception of species that were connected to the Egyptian god Osiris.

3. Wine

Wine and ancient Egypt have a very rich history. Wine was known to be consumed by the Egyptians as early as 3000 BC. The Egyptian word for wine, jrp, predates any other known word for wine. By the 18th dynasty, wine had become a popular consumer product in ancient Egypt with both red and white wines available to everyone.

To make wine, the ancient Egyptians picked a bunch of grapes and squeezed all of the juice out by stepping on them in a trough big enough to hold at least six men. This mixture was sealed in a clay pot with the date and vineyard on it, almost exactly like today. For much of ancient Egyptian history, wine was mostly consumed at the court of the pharaohs. They even appointed an official wine taster. Wine was also a common drink on the menus of the rich and powerful.

2. Bread

Bread was an staple food item in the ancient Egyptian diet, but the bread they ate differed in many ways from the bread we are used to eating today. Because of the crude utensils used in making bread, several unwanted ingredients such as quartz, feldspar, mica, and other ferromagnesian minerals were often mixed up with the flour, along with germs and other foreign bodies. Once the flour was made, the bread would be made by mixing dough and kneading it with both hands or even the feet in large dough-kneading containers. To add some flavor, additives such as yeast, salt, spices, milk, and sometimes eggs were added just before the bread was cut into baking pieces. The bread was always rougher and harder because of these extra ingredients, but nonetheless, bread made up the biggest part of the ancient Egyptians' diet.

See also:

1. Beer

Along with bread, beer was the most popular staple in ancient Egypt, and people drank beer on a daily basis. In fact, beer was the preferred drink of mortals and gods, the rich and powerful, adults and even children. Be it the first meal of the day or supper, beer was always a part of it. It is no wonder that with so much booze in their daily diets, almost all Egyptians lived life on a high. Beer, together with bread, oil, vegetables, and spices, formed an important part of the wages that workers received from their employers. The standard daily ration during pharaonic times was two jars containing slightly more than two liters each. It was supposed to be a healthier drink than the water drawn from rivers or canals which were often polluted.

Conclusion

It is clear from the above list that people in ancient Egypt had good eating habits with a variety of food items present in their daily diets. From the rich to the poor, and from the workers to the farmers, regardless of the differences in the quality of food they enjoyed, almost all of them were well fed, with several food options available to them. Food was baked, boiled, grilled, stewed, fried, and even roasted and then served with other seasonings, along with beer or occasionally wine. It is also clear that the food staples that prevailed in ancient Egypt have had a significant impact on the food habits of generations to come.

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Top 10 Most Popular Ancient Egyptian Food

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Ancient Egypt was known for its prodigious culture, the pyramids, the sphinx, and the pharaohs of this once-majestic civilization on the banks of the Nile. And when it comes to the culinary habits of the people of ancient Egypt, it is clear that they ate much better than people of any other ancient civilization in the world, particularly contemporary civilizations.

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Facts About Ancient Egyptian Food One of the stable foods that the ancient Egyptians loved was bread. They had a strong liking for garlic Green vegetables Onions Figs Dates Cheese and Butter Fish Beer was very popular also How easy was it to get food? When you look at the country of Egypt, you see ……

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The ancient world was not generally good for the health. People lived much shorter lives and often had access to less nutritious foods. However, the overall prosperity and fertility of Ancient Egypt made it a place of plenty, at least for the wealthy. Had the food not been as rich, the empires would not have lasted as long as they did. Generally speaking, there was a lot of food and drink in Ancient Egypt. It was just a lot harder to prepare than it is in modern society.

What Did the Ancient Egyptians Eat?

The term "Ancient Egypt" covers thousands of years, during which leadership and trade changed. These changes sometimes led to changes in local cuisine. For example, while Egypt is in Africa, it is close enough to the Middle East for trading between the two regions. Therefore, the food is a combination of the cuisines of two continents - Africa and Asia.

The most popular menu item in Ancient Egypt was bread. Wheat and barley were staples in Ancient Egyptian farming. Cooks made bread with the flour produced from these grains. Some seeds and nuts also made their way into the dough. Like today, cooks seasoned bread to alter the taste. It is unclear whether this was class specific or both poor and rich alike used seasoning.

Click here to check out some Ancient Egyptian recipes

© Andrej Blagojević - Preserved grains

In spite of the vast desert, there was plenty of fertile soil. Ancient Egyptians were able to farm many crops we recognize today. A meal might include celery, garlic, beans, peas, nuts, lentils or lettuce. There is also evidence of olive oil. Fruits including figs, grapes and perhaps melons were also present.

The meat Ancient Egyptians ate was much like the meat eaten today in northeast Africa. There was pigeon, quail, mutton, beef, fish and pork. Milk was another source of nutrition, also used to make cheese and butter.

Ancient Egyptians had plenty of flavor to add to their foods. There was mustard, salt, cumin, coriander, honey, dill and vinegar. A flavorful dish would have been easy using these ingredients.

What Tools Did Ancient Egyptians Use to Prepare Food?

It is clear that we prepare much of the traditional food in Ancient Egypt, like bread and meat, in largely the same way today. For example, the tandoor oven that makes today's naan bread had a cousin in Ancient Egypt's kitchens. Cooks slap the dough on the hot walls of the oven and it makes flat bread.

The mortar and pestle has not changed since ancient times. Still, it was much more important in Ancient Egyptian cuisine than in modern fare. Today, we have machines that can reduce grain and seasonings to powder. In Ancient Egypt, people ground grains and seasonings by hand using these basic tools.

© Ashley Van Haeften - Woman grinding grains

Pottery was important to cooking in Ancient Egypt. They could fill it with bread dough and set it over the fire to bake. It could store olive oil or serve as a vessel for cooking meats and vegetables. Metal was also available in Ancient Egypt. Metal dishes and utensils made up the eating tools of the rich.

A modern person would recognize most of the tools in an Ancient Egyptian kitchen. Fingers were eating utensils, but ladles, knives and spoons were still present for cooking. Even whisks were available to the ancient cook. Bowls, pots and pans are among the artifacts found in Ancient Egyptian ruins.

Historians do know that Egyptians boiled, stewed, baked and roasted foods over fire. Wood was the most popular fuel. Charcoal was available sparingly. The precise preparations of food cooked over fire remain elusive.

What Did the Ancient Egyptians Drink?

Beer was the cornerstone of Ancient Egyptian beverages. Wine was available as well, but much less often and primarily to the rich. The barley used for bread was also used for beer. Unlike today, when drinking beer everyday is taboo, it was necessary in Ancient Egypt. People even traded with it.

© Jim Forest - Ancient Egyptians baking and brewing beer

How Do Historians Know What Ancient Egyptians Ate and Drank?

An important key in finding information about the diet of ancient Egyptians is the artwork left behind. A variety of art pieces depict the types of foods they ate, how they ate them, how they prepared them and who ate what. Tomb murals and similar paintings show virtually every aspect of daily life, so, naturally, the art depicts food too.

Facts About Food and Drink Ancient Egypt:

Bakers used to shape bread dough into various figures, including animals and humans.

Ancient Egyptians made beer by half cooking barley, soaking it in water and leaving it to set. They had to strain the clumps of barley out before drinking it.

When grinding grains, some of the stone used would wear away into the flour, which people would then eat. This often led to severe tooth erosion.

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The ancient world was not generally good for the health. People lived much shorter lives and often had access to less nutritious foods. However, the overall prosperity and fertility of Ancient Egypt made it a place of plenty, at least for the wealthy.

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Although Egypt is a hot, desert country where the lack of water makes it difficult to grow crops and raise animals, the annual flooding of the river Nile (inundation) between the months of June and September made the Nile Valley one of the most fertile areas of the ancient world.

When the river flooded, mud and silt was deposited onto the surrounding area. This soil was rich and fertile and made good farming land. The main crops grown were wheat and barley.

Wheat was made into bread which was one of the main foods eaten by both rich and poor ancient Egyptians. The picture (right) shows the bread-making process.

First the grain was made into flour. It was then made into dough with water and yeast which was placed into a clay mould before being cooked in a stone oven.

Barley was used to make beer. The barley was combined with yeast and made into a dough which was part-baked in a stone oven. It was then crumbled into a large vat, mixed with water and allowed to ferment before being flavoured with dates or honey. Recent evidence suggests that barley malt may also have been used in the process.

Beer was drank by both rich and poor.

Wine made from grapes, pomegranates and plums was enjoyed by the rich.

The rich ancient Egyptians' ate meat - (beef, goat, mutton), fish from the Nile (perch, catfish, mullet) or poultry (goose, pigeon, duck, heron, crane) on a daily basis. Poor Egyptians only ate meat on special occasions but ate fish and poultry more often.

The picture (above) shows ancient Egyptians hunting for fish and birds in the reeds that grew on the banks of the Nile.

Meat, fish and poultry was roasted or boiled. It was flavoured with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, sesame, dill and fennel.

Meat, fish and poultry that was not eaten quickly was preserved by salting or drying.

A variety of vegetables were grown and eaten by the ancient Egyptians including onions, leeks, garlic, beans, lettuce, lentils, cabbages, radishes and turnips.

Fruit including dates, figs, plums and melons were eaten for dessert.

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Although Egypt is a hot, desert country where the lack of water makes it difficult to grow crops and raise animals, the annual flooding of the river Nile (inundation) between the months of June and September made the Nile Valley one of the most fertile areas of the ancient world.