Pharaoh Food

Ancient Egypt was a place brimming with magnificent and captivating civilization, evident in its constructions, traditions, and way of life. Particularly, in terms of food and dining, the Egyptians of that era were considered to have a better quality of life regarding food than other ancient civilizations worldwide, as often depicted in ancient Egyptian paintings and carvings that illustrate various dining cultures.

Ancient Culinary Techniques and Diverse Ingredients

Numerous pieces of evidence indicate that the Egyptians enjoyed a good quality of life and well-being, including ancient culinary techniques such as the making of beer, cheese, wine, Garum (fish sauce), or even the bread baking methods we use today, all rooted in ancient Egyptian times.

Beyond these techniques, ancient Egyptians commonly used a wide variety of herbs in both cooking and medicine. These included rosemary, juniper, chamomile, thyme leaves, grains, and many more. For example, sesame seeds were extracted to make oil, and chamomile flowers were used as medicine to treat various skin diseases.

The fertile lands surrounding the Nile River played a crucial role in the sourcing of ingredients for ancient Egyptians. This region allowed for the cultivation of a diverse range of crops such as wheat, barley, flax, grains, legumes, vegetables, and various fruits like grapes, pomegranates, and dates.

In addition to carbohydrate-based foods, ancient Egyptians also commonly hunted animals for food. Mostly, Egyptians consumed wild game such as ostriches, pigeons, ducks, geese, rabbits, hedgehogs, mice, deer, cattle, gazelles, and even hippos. Not just wild animals, but ancient Egyptians also commonly consumed fish, as the Nile River was teeming with various species of fish.

Food, Religious Beliefs, and the Afterlife

Food preparation in ancient Egypt was intimately linked with religious beliefs. Pharaohs believed that deities required sustenance and offerings, thus vast quantities of food were prepared as offerings to the gods. Among the most prominent offerings were bread and beer.

Pharaohs would offer freshly baked bread and beer in luxurious jars to the gods. These two foods symbolized abundance, as bread was typically made from wheat and beer from barley. Since grain was considered life-giving to the people, offering these foods to the deities was deemed a virtuous act.

The production of bread consumed in ancient Egypt was not significantly different from modern methods. Dough was mixed with yeast and water, a little salt was added in large containers, and it was hand-shaped into various forms such as ovals, triangles, squares, or even animal and human shapes, along with other unusual forms used for special occasions. It was then baked in clay ovens. Evidence suggests that Egyptians knew how to use yeast in dough more than 1,500 years BCE.

Regarding beer production, the Egyptians were skilled in the art of brewing and fermenting beer, producing it from barley, which was a staple drink at the time. The Egyptian method of brewing beer was similar to the Sudanese alcoholic beverage called Bouza. Sometimes, vegetables or fruits, typically dates, were added to enhance the flavor. Hops, which are used today, were not known to the Egyptians at that time.

Egyptians often spent their entire lives preparing for death, hoping to take all their possessions, including the food they enjoyed, with them into the afterlife. This is evident from various artifacts discovered in Egyptian tombs and burial sites, including those of the pharaohs themselves, where numerous items were found buried alongside them.

Creativity Enduring to the Present

Food in the era of the pharaohs reflects the civilization's prosperity, its agricultural capabilities, cultural beliefs, and a good quality of life from ancient times. If the people of that era had not possessed such culinary creativity, today we might not know many of the food and beverage techniques, or even some of the ingredients, that we use.