Egyptian Food and Drink

.	Egyptian Food	Traditional Mongolian Food

Food Source	Settled river irrigation In the Early Dynastic Period c.4000 BC., Egyptians first began to settle along the banks of the Nile and to evolve from hunters and gatherers to settled Farmers A revolution occurred in food production. Meat ceased to be the chief article of diet and was replaced by plants such as wheat and barley. The relatively egalitarian tribal structure of the Nile Valley broke down because of the need to manage and control the Egyptian Agriculture and the surplus it generated.	Nomadic herders
Food Security	Egyptians were relatively secure in the fertile Nile valley storage of crops in communal government granaries	suffered regular famines - livestock heavily dependant on rain
Meat	As it was difficult to raise livestock on the Egyptian deserts, meat was a luxury, Fish and meat had to be especially prepared for storage. One method was salting. Another was to hang up the fish in the sun, which baked them dry.	Main Diet - dependent on meat and animal products for their dietary staples. Animals include sheep, cattle, goats, camels and horses
Bread	The basic food was bread - wheat was the most important crop used to make bread	uncommon - flour used to make noodles in some areas
Sugar	Sugar was unknown - honey was used as a sweetener by the rich, and poor people used dates and fruit juices	Unknown
Vegetables and fruits	Important crops included sesame, beans, chickpeas, lettuce, onions, garlic, dill, grapes, melons and gourds	Few fruits
Drink	Beer was made from barely, and was the main drink for common people	Milk from all livestock
Alcohol	Wine was produced by the first dynasty in extensive cellars. Accurate records were kept of the vintages and quality of wines, jars were clearly labeled. Wine was a luxury and the main consumption took place as: 1) Offerings to the gods and dead 2) Pharaoh, nobles and the priests in temple ceremonies and party banquets In party scenes on the tomb walls, there are a number of images depicting the guests throwing up or being carried home because of their drunken state, drunkenness was seen as an amusement. Hathor was the goddess of wine and beer, temples associated with the goddess had their own vineyards to make sure that the celebrants had enough wine for the rituals.	Airag - the fermented milk of mares (female horses) Nermel - a home brewed vodka