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How did ancient Egyptians use barley cakes to make beer?
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Beer
Glasses of beer in a bar in Brussels.
Ancient Egyptians produced beer by utilizing barley or partly germinated barley as a primary ingredient. The process involved crushing the grain and mixing it with water, after which the mixture was dried into cakes.1
To initiate the brewing process, these dried cakes were broken up and mixed with water again. This created an extract that underwent fermentation through the action of microorganisms that had accumulated on the surfaces of the brewing vessels. This method highlights the close historical connection between brewing and baking, as both crafts relied on a fundamental understanding of fermentation and the availability of grain.12