How Did Beer Affect Early Civilization

Stone-Age Brew The discovery of beer had several major impacts on early civilizations that are now carried to modern day. To begin, early communities found food sources by hunting game, fishing, and gathering edible plants. These groups were nomadic and didn’t stay in a single location for very long since they had to follow where food was available. However, around 12,000 years ago these people began to settle down and farm instead. These civilizations began to farm cereal grains and barley which became reliable food sources that could be stores as well as cooked into foods such as stews and porridges. Cereal grains were found to have two useful purposes. First, the enzymes in them broke down the starches which created a sweet, sugary taste.
People began to realize that while alcoholic drinks made them feel drowsy and unfocused, coffee helped to think clearly and focus to work. People with mental jobs drank coffee often. Coffee brought up a debate about morals within Islam and other religions. Should the drink be banished? People debated on how meeting at coffeehouses was a waste of time, the taste wasn’t great, and medical men thought it was poisonous. Regardless, coffee continued to spread and became the drink of the intelligent. As more and more coffee houses opened, people would meet there to get informed on news and discuss anything from politics to philosophy. Spectators who thought coffee was mindless were quickly proved wrong as cafes evolved to a formal meeting place to re-evaluate concepts such as Sir Isaac Newton’s laws. Coffee has created a new level of culture and connection and has brought people together from centuries on. Today, coffeehouses remain a great place for business meeting and study groups. Coffee remains to possess the reputation of a drink for the
In fact, it was popular in many Asian countries before It spread in Europe. Tea was thought to be discovered in China by the second Emperor, Shen Nung. The discovery may have been an accident but it lead to finding intellectual and medicinal benefits. Tea continued to develop in Asia as they evolved to see its’ cultural significance as well such as Traditional Tea Ceremonies. Tea only reached Europe around 1500. Tea continued to be spread in Europe over the next 200 years or so. However, it didn’t boom as quickly as coffee had because it started expensive as a medicinal delicacy. Conflicts did occur ever so often to ensure that the trade and financial aspect were being dealt with fairly. Nevertheless, tea became the most popular drink by the Industrial Period. The British Empire greatly depended on China to supply their tea cravings. Eventually, the trading feud lead to the Opium Wars in 1830s. To guarantee that Britain could continue buying large amounts of tea without falling in debt and have a favorable balance of trade with China, these attacks occurred. Once it was settled, the British continues to drink their tea. Americans however, remain favoring coffee over tea most likely due to the Tea Act and the symbolic significance of the Boston Tea