A brief history of alcohol - Rod Phillips
TED-Ed・4 minutes read
Overripe fruit naturally ferments into alcohol, leading to the creation of alcoholic drinks in ancient civilizations, while the invention of distillation in the 9th century enabled the production of stronger spirits with medicinal, trade, and exploration purposes.
Insights
- Overripe fruit can naturally lead to the fermentation process that produces alcoholic beverages due to the action of yeasts on sugars.
- The development of distillation in the 9th century revolutionized the production of stronger spirits, impacting their medicinal, trade, and maritime roles significantly throughout history.
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Recent questions
How are alcoholic beverages made?
Through fermentation of sugars by yeasts.
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Summary
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Alcohol: From Fruit to Global Trade
- Overripe fruit attracts yeasts that ferment sugars into ethanol, creating alcoholic beverages like beer and wine.
- Ancient civilizations worldwide fermented various crops to produce alcoholic drinks, with different regions favoring different ingredients.
- The invention of distillation in the 9th century allowed for the creation of stronger spirits, leading to their medicinal use, trade significance, and role in long-distance sea voyages during the Age of Exploration.
