An Unholy Brew

An Unholy Brew
Author: James McHugh
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2021
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199375933

Books about the global history of alcohol almost never give attention to India. But a wide range of texts provide plenty of evidence that there was a thriving culture of drinking in ancient and medieval India, from public carousing at the brewery and drinking house to imbibing at festivals andweddings. There was also an elite drinking culture depicted in poetic texts (often in an erotic mode), and medical texts explain how to balance drink and health. Not everyone drank, however, and there were sophisticated religious arguments for abstinence.The first book on alcohol in pre-modern India, An Unholy Brew: Alcohol in Indian Religion and History uses a wide range of sources from the Vedas to the Kamasutra to explore drinks and styles of drinking, as well as rationales for abstinence from the earliest Sanskrit written records through thesecond millennium CE. McHugh begins by surveying the intoxicating drinks that were available, including grain beers, palm toddy, and imported wine, detailing the ways people used grains, sugars, fruits, and herbs over the centuries to produce an impressive array of liquors. He outlines myths andepics that explain how drink came into being and how it was assigned the ritual and legal status it has in our time. The book also explores Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain moral and legal texts on drink and abstinence, as well as how drink is used in some Tantric rituals, and translates in full a detaileddescription of the goddess Liquor, Sura, Cannabis, betel, soma, and opium are also considered. Finally, McHugh investigates what has happened to these drinks, stories, and theories in the last few centuries.An Unholy Brew brings to life the overlooked, complex world of brewing, drinking, and abstaining in pre-modern India, and offers illuminating case studies on topics such as law and medicine, even providing recipes for some drinks.

The Wines of India

The Wines of India
Author: Peter Csizmadia- Honigh
Publisher:
Total Pages: 451
Release: 2015
Genre: Wine
ISBN: 9780993035913

Ancient Wine

Ancient Wine
Author: Patrick E. McGovern
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 456
Release: 2019-10
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 0691197202

Stone age wine -- The Noah hypothesis -- The archaeological and chemical hunt for the earliest wine -- Neolithic wine! -- Wine of the earliest pharaohs -- Wine of Egypt's golden age -- Wine of the world's first cities -- Wine and the great empires of the ancient Near East -- The Holy Land's bounty -- Lands of Dionysos : Greece and western Anatolia -- A beverage for King Midas and at the limits of the civilized world -- Molecular archaeology, wine, and a view to the future.

Science and Technology of Fruit Wine Production

Science and Technology of Fruit Wine Production
Author: Maria R. Kosseva
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 758
Release: 2016-11-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0128010347

Science and Technology of Fruit Wine Production includes introductory chapters on the production of wine from fruits other than grapes, including their composition, chemistry, role, quality of raw material, medicinal values, quality factors, bioreactor technology, production, optimization, standardization, preservation, and evaluation of different wines, specialty wines, and brandies. Wine and its related products have been consumed since ancient times, not only for stimulatory and healthful properties, but also as an important adjunct to the human diet by increasing satisfaction and contributing to the relaxation necessary for proper digestion and absorption of food. Most wines are produced from grapes throughout the world, however, fruits other than grapes, including apple, plum, peach, pear, berries, cherries, currants, apricot, and many others can also be profitably utilized in the production of wines. The major problems in wine production, however, arise from the difficulty in extracting the sugar from the pulp of some of the fruits, or finding that the juices obtained lack in the requisite sugar contents, have higher acidity, more anthocyanins, or have poor fermentability. The book demonstrates that the application of enzymes in juice extraction, bioreactor technology, and biological de-acidification (MLF bacteria, or de-acidifying yeast like schizosaccharomyces pombe, and others) in wine production from non-grape fruits needs serious consideration. - Focuses on producing non-grape wines, highlighting their flavor, taste, and other quality attributes, including their antioxidant properties - Provides a single-volume resource that consolidates the research findings and developed technology employed to make wines from non-grape fruits - Explores options for reducing post-harvest losses, which are especially high in developing countries - Stimulates research and development efforts in non-grape wines

Around the World in Eighty Wines

Around the World in Eighty Wines
Author: Mike Veseth
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2017-11-01
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 1442257377

Inspired by Jules Verne’s classic adventure tale, celebrated editor-in-chief of The Wine Economist Mike Veseth takes his readers Around the World in Eighty Wines. The journey starts in London, Phileas Fogg’s home base, and follows Fogg’s itinerary to France and Italy before veering off in search of compelling wine stories in Syria, Georgia, and Lebanon. Every glass of wine tells a story, and so each of the eighty wines must tell an important tale. We head back across Northern Africa to Algeria, once the world’s leading wine exporter, before hopping across the sea to Spain and Portugal. We follow Portuguese trade routes to Madeira and then South Africa with a short detour to taste Kenya’s most famous Pinot Noir. Kenya? Pinot Noir? Really! The route loops around, visiting Bali, Thailand, and India before heading north to China to visit Shangri-La. Shangri-La? Does that even exist? It does, and there is wine there. Then it is off to Australia, with a detour in Tasmania, which is so cool that it is hot. The stars of the Southern Cross (and the title of a familiar song) guide us to New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina. We ride a wine train in California and rendezvous with Planet Riesling in Seattle before getting into fast cars for a race across North America, collecting more wine as we go. Pause for lunch in Virginia to honor Thomas Jefferson, then it’s time to jet back to London to tally our wines and see what we have learned. Why these particular places? What are the eighty wines and what do they reveal? And what is the surprise plot twist that guarantees a happy ending for every wine lover? Come with us on a journey of discovery that will inspire, inform, and entertain anyone who loves travel, adventure, or wine.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses

A History of the World in 6 Glasses
Author: Tom Standage
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2009-05-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 0802718590

New York Times Bestseller * Soon to be a TV series starring Dan Aykroyd “There aren't many books this entertaining that also provide a cogent crash course in ancient, classical and modern history.” -Los Angeles Times Beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola: In Tom Standage's deft, innovative account of world history, these six beverages turn out to be much more than just ways to quench thirst. They also represent six eras that span the course of civilization-from the adoption of agriculture, to the birth of cities, to the advent of globalization. A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the twenty-first century through each epoch's signature refreshment. As Standage persuasively argues, each drink is in fact a kind of technology, advancing culture and catalyzing the intricate interplay of different societies. After reading this enlightening book, you may never look at your favorite drink in quite the same way again.