re: #1156 Cato the Elder

Actually, you’re right. Beer, because of its alcohol content (much higher in ancient days) was less likely to spoil than stored grain. The Egyptians used it for that reason, as well as for the buzz, and because it kept the workers happy.

They don’t call it “liquid bread” for nothing!

No doubt the fact that the buzz was storeable helped, but I doubt it was the main motivation, and anyway who would let good fresh beer sit for long?

However, levity aside, there are plenty of other examples of fermentation storage of food on the same principle. On different sides of the planet we have kimchi and “sour herring” for example. The latter being known from Scandinavia to Palestine. Personally I prefer the Scandinavian variety.