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Topics in this
section:
work
and trade |
leisure activities |
hunting and
fishing |
food and drink |
health and wellbeing |
dress
A great deal of information has survived concerning the diet
of Ancient Egyptians, both in the preserved remains of various foods, and the
depictions of food, food processing and consumption found in temples, tombs and
papyri.
Bread and beer
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Bread and beer were the two staples in an Egyptian's
diet. Both were made in a similar way, using emmer wheat or barley.
Grinding the wheat and barley was an incredibly laborious daily process,
carried out on an arrangement of stones and usually by the women. |
| Bread was eaten with every meal and was made in
the home until around the New Kingdom, when bakeries became common. Loaves
were made in various shapes and sizes, and those intended for ritual use
would usually be made in moulds. Bread formed the centrepiece of offering
scenes in tombs, where it was usually portrayed in rows of long slices on
the table. |
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Women also made the beer, mixing the bread dough with
yeast and leaving it to ferment in large vats. A few weeks later, the
resulting "mash" was filtered and strained before drinking. It
was thought that spices and fruits were added to flavour the beer, however
recent research has found this may not have been the case. |
Meat and fish
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| The lavish banquets of the wealthy Egyptians are well documented, with
party revellers feasting on meat washed down with wine. The wealthy ate a
meat rich diet, often wild game from the hunt, and included such delights
as antelope, gazelle, porcupine, hare, and fowl such as quail and crane. |
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Oxen were another popular dish
and evidence from the both the Middle Kingdom pyramid town of Kahun and
the workmen's village at el-Amarna shows that pigs were also raised for
their meat. Meat could be roasted, boiled or stewed, and would have been a
luxury for most Egyptians, usually eaten at festivals or special
occasions. |
| Usually eaten dried, fish was an important source of nourishment in the
peasant diet, often shunned as "unclean" by wealthier Egyptians.
Perch, catfish, carp and mullet were all consumed. Once caught, fish were
cleaned, cut up, the fish eggs set apart for further treatment, and either
dried or eaten boiled, roasted or pickled in brine. |
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The Egyptians usually used nets or spears to catch their
fish, and they were the first people to fish for pure pleasure. Nobles are often
shown in armchairs, lazily dangling lines into their well stocked garden pools.
Fruit, veg and
dairy produce ...
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Beans, onions, garlic, leeks, lettuces and cucumbers were amongst the most regular
supplies of vegetables available to the Ancient Egyptians. Grapes were used in
the making of wine, although this was usually only consumed by the
wealthier groups in Egyptian society. |
| Gardens were very popular, and were often used to
grow fruit trees and crops throughout the year. Various fruits such as
dates, figs, grapes, pomegranates, palm nuts, and occasionally almonds
were available to the population at large. Although eaten fresh, fruit was
also dried in order to preserve it. |
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Ducks were kept for their eggs and their meat, and from
the New Kingdom onwards the Egyptians also kept hens for their eggs and
meat too. In addition to being used as a source of meat, cattle and
livestock were also used to provide milk for making cheese. |
The
Egyptians were the first people who were known to keep bees. Honey was obtained
from both wild and domestic bees, and was often used to sweeten cakes, beer,
bread and wine. During the New Kingdom, it is recorded that the workmen of the
village of Deir el-Medina, Thebes, kept bees, and that "confectioners"
were employed to prepare honey cakes for them.
Discover what the Egyptians used for medicines and healthcare >>
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