Uncorking the Past

by McGovern, Patrick E.

• ISBN13: 9780520267985
• ISBN10: 0520267982
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-12-17
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

In a lively tour around the world and through the millennia,Uncorking the Pasttells the compelling story of humanity's ingenious, intoxicating quest for the perfect drink. Following a tantalizing trail of archaeological, chemical, artistic, and textual clues, Patrick E. McGovern, the leading authority on ancient alcoholic beverages, brings us up to date on what we now know about how humans created and enjoyed fermented beverages across cultures. Along the way, he explores a provocative hypothesis about the integral role such libations have played in human evolution. We discover, for example, that the cereal staples of the modern world were probably domesticated for their potential in making quantities of alcoholic beverages. These include the delectable rice wines of China and Japan, the corn beers of the Americas, and the millet and sorghum drinks of Africa. Humans also learned how to make mead from honey and wine from exotic fruits of all kinds-even from the sweet pulp of the cacao (chocolate) fruit in the New World. The perfect drink, it turns out-whether it be mind-altering, medicinal, a religious symbol, a social lubricant, or artistic inspiration-has not only been a profound force in history, but may be fundamental to the human condition itself.

Author Biography

Patrick E. McGovern is Scientific Director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Laboratory for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. His books include Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture, the 2004 Grand Prize winner in History, Literature, and Fine Arts, Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Homo Imbibens: I Drink, Therefore I Am	p. 1
Along the Banks of the Yellow River	p. 28
The Near Eastern Challenge	p. 60
Following the Silk Road	p. 105
European Bogs, Grogs, Burials, and Binges	p. 129
Sailing the Wine-Dark Mediterranean	p. 159
The Sweet, the Bitter, and the Aromatic in the New World	p. 198
Africa Serves Up Its Meads, Wines, and Beers	p. 231
Alcoholic Beverages: Whence and Whither?	p. 266
Select Bibliography	p. 283
Acknowledgments	p. 297
Index	p. 301
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