What Was The First Beverage?

Summary

This video explores the history of human beverages, delving into the origins of drinks like milk and beer. In 2000, research revealed that liquids like drinks don’t make us feel full, unlike solid foods. The oldest beverages include tea, coffee, wine, and beer, with the latter possibly being the first ‘modern’ drink, dating back over 5,000 years. The video highlights how humans only started drinking non-water beverages relatively recently in our history. From ancient Sumerians brewing beer to evidence of early milk-drinking practices, the video illustrates the evolution of our relationship with drinks and what this reveals about our ancient past.

Takeaways

• 😀 The experiment in 2000 revealed that consuming calories in solid foods (like jellybeans) makes people feel full, while drinking calories (like a beverage) does not trigger the same feeling of fullness.
• 😀 Drinks may not make us feel full due to the way liquids are processed in our bodies, entering the intestines faster and potentially not triggering the fullness signals from certain foods.
• 😀 Humans have only recently entered what scientists call the 'modern beverage era', with most of our history involving just drinking water.
• 😀 The oldest beverages in human history are not fruit juices but drinks like tea, coffee, milk, and beer, all of which have roots in ancient cultures.
• 😀 While coffee dates back to around 600 years ago and tea to about 4,700 years ago, the oldest known drink might be milk, which was consumed by humans at least 6,000 years ago.
• 😀 Archaeologists discovered milk proteins in the plaque of ancient human skeletons, suggesting that people in Britain drank milk as early as 6,000 years ago.
• 😀 Ancient Sumerians drank both milk and beer, with evidence of early breweries and beer being popular, even used as payment for workers.
• 😀 Beer was valued not only for its intoxicating effects but also because it purified drinking water and provided essential minerals and B vitamins.
• 😀 In China, evidence of ancient breweries and early beer-making techniques can be traced back over 5,000 years, with beer possibly being brewed in pottery designed specifically for fermentation.
• 😀 Some researchers believe that early pottery with pinched necks discovered in Chinese graveyards may have been used to ferment beer, dating back as far as 9,000 to 7,500 years ago.
• 😀 The debate about whether milk or beer was humanity's first beverage continues, with some evidence suggesting milk might have been consumed as early as 20,000 years ago, as indicated by genetic adaptations in humans.

Q & A

Why do drinks, especially calorie-dense ones, not make us feel full like solid food does?

Drinks do not trigger the same fullness signals in our bodies as solid food does. Research suggests liquids pass through our intestines faster and do not stimulate the fullness hormones, which is why people tend to eat more after drinking their calories.

What evidence do scientists have for the claim that humans have not evolved to drink other beverages besides water?

The evidence comes from the fact that humans only started drinking other beverages relatively recently in history. For most of human existence, the only drink was water, and our bodies haven't fully adapted to consuming other liquids.

What are some of the oldest beverages in human history?

Some of the oldest beverages include plant-based drinks like coffee, which appeared around 600 years ago, sweetened lemon juice from over 1,000 years ago, and tea, which dates back about 4,700 years. Wine also has a history dating back 8,000 years.

Which beverage is considered to be among the oldest, according to archaeological evidence?

The oldest beverages are likely either milk or beer, both of which date back over 6,000 years. Evidence of milk drinking comes from ancient dental plaque, while beer is linked to early Mesopotamian breweries.

How did researchers confirm that ancient people drank milk?

In 2019, researchers analyzed dental plaque from ancient skeletons. The presence of milk proteins in the plaque confirmed that people were consuming milk as far back as 6,000 years ago.

What was the role of milk in ancient societies?

Milk provided essential nutrients like vitamin D and vitamin C, which were especially important in areas with limited sunlight or fresh fruit. It may have even helped increase the lifespan of Neolithic people.

How does the historical significance of beer compare to that of milk?

While milk was a practical source of nutrition, beer had a more social and intoxicating appeal. Beer also had practical benefits, such as purifying water, and was widely consumed in ancient societies, particularly in Mesopotamia.

Where have the earliest evidence of beer consumption been found?

The earliest evidence of beer consumption comes from Mesopotamia, where ancient texts and artifacts show breweries dating back over 5,000 years. Further evidence also comes from China, where beer brewing may have occurred over 9,000 years ago.

What does the discovery of ancient beer in graves suggest about its significance?

The presence of beer-related items in graves suggests that it was part of social rituals, such as toasting the dead. This practice underscores beer's importance in social and ceremonial contexts in ancient cultures.

What was the 'Secondary Products Revolution,' and how did it relate to the early consumption of milk?

The Secondary Products Revolution was a theory stating that ancient societies weren't organized enough to milk animals. However, evidence of older herds and milk-related bones suggests that milk consumption might date back earlier than this theory suggests, potentially over 10,000 years ago.

How does genetic evidence contribute to the debate about the oldest beverage?

Recent genetic studies have shown that humans began to produce lactase, the enzyme needed to digest milk, about 20,000 years ago. This genetic adaptation suggests that milk consumption could have begun much earlier than previously thought.