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AN ancient brewery dating back 5,000 years was discovered in the central plains of China by Stanford University researcher Jiajing Wang and her team.
Evidence also indicates that Chinese brewers were using specialized tools and modern beer-making techniques that were ahead of their time.
“This beer recipe indicates a mix of Chinese and Western traditions – barley from the West, millet, Job’s tears and tubers from China,” Jiajing told AFP.
The findings suggest that barley has been used in alcohol before it was in food. It’s possible that the Chinese started to drink beer the same time as those in ancient Egypt or Iran, from where the barley would have come.
The pottery fragments that were discovered. Pic: Jiajing Wang
A report by The Washington Post said Jiajing’s team “analyzed this ancient alcohol by scraping yellowish residue out of the pottery remains – fragments of vessels they think were shaped for the various stages of beer-making”.
Despite knowing the components of the beer, Jiajing said the recipe won’t be released to the public, as the team aren’t able to determine the exact ratio of ingredients.
Upon inspection of the pots and jugs, the team found ancient grains inside, which had been damaged by malting and mashing during the beer-making process.
The Washington Post report added that the pottery shards discovered could shed light on the history of Asian agriculture.
In the past, archaeologists have found evidence of rice fermentation dating back as far as 9,000 years, which may have been mankind’s first exposure to alcoholic beverages.
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Source: travelwireasia.com