03914nam 2200673Ia 450 991045481730332120210429234910.01-282-35990-897866123599030-520-94468-210.1525/9780520944688(CKB)1000000000811835(EBL)470957(OCoLC)536166648(SSID)ssj0000312225(PQKBManifestationID)11205917(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000312225(PQKBWorkID)10330782(PQKB)11024190(MiAaPQ)EBC470957(DE-B1597)518866(DE-B1597)9780520944688(Au-PeEL)EBL470957(CaPaEBR)ebr10343501(CaONFJC)MIL235990(EXLCZ)99100000000081183520090312d2009 uy 0engur|nu---|u||utxtccrUncorking the past[electronic resource] the quest for wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages /Patrick E. McGovernBerkeley University of California Pressc20091 online resource (357 p.)Description based upon print version of record.0-520-26798-2 0-520-25379-5 Includes bibliographical references and index.Front matter --Contents --Illustrations --Preface --1. Homo Imbibens I Drink, Therefore I Am --2. Along The Banks Of The Yellow River --3. The Near Eastern Challenge --4. Following The Silk Road --5. European Bogs, Grogs, Burials, And Binges --6. Sailing The Wine- Dark Mediterranean --7. The Sweet, The Bitter, And The Aromatic In The New World --8. Africa Serves Up Its Meads, Wines, And Beers --9. Alcoholic Beverages: Whence And Whither? --Select Bibliography --Acknowledgments --IndexIn a lively tour around the world and through the millennia, Uncorking the Past tells 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.Alcoholic beveragesHistoryAlcoholic beveragesSocial aspectsDrinking of alcoholic beveragesHistoryDrinking of alcoholic beveragesSocial aspectsElectronic books.Alcoholic beveragesHistory.Alcoholic beveragesSocial aspects.Drinking of alcoholic beveragesHistory.Drinking of alcoholic beveragesSocial aspects.394.1/3McGovern Patrick E446145MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910454817303321Uncorking the past2452540UNINA