Henqet — emmer beer with dates
A cloudy, nourishing beer brewed from crumbled emmer bread and sweetened with dates. Mildly sour, closer to a fermented liquid porridge than our modern beers.
A cloudy, nourishing beer brewed from crumbled emmer bread and sweetened with dates. Mildly sour, closer to a fermented liquid porridge than our modern beers.
Learn this, you who drink to my health: henqet is not a luxury, it is the golden blood of the Two Lands. Crumble the barely baked emmer bread, mix it with Nile water and crushed dates, then let the spirit of the grain work on its own, as Hapi swells the river. Drink it thick, from the jug, and you will stand from Ra's rising to his setting. Let my libation also rise to the gods.
- •Underbaked emmer loaves — several (source of sugar and yeasts)
- •Sprouted emmer grain (malt) — one part (fermentable sugars)
- •Dates — a handful (sweetness and wild yeasts)
- •Water — as needed (base)
Henqet — emmer beer with dates
A cloudy, nourishing beer brewed from crumbled emmer bread and sweetened with dates. Mildly sour, closer to a fermented liquid porridge than our modern beers.
Why this dish? Beer (henqet) was the national drink, paid as rations to the workers of Saqqarah and offered to the deities. Thick, low in alcohol, slightly sweetened by dates, it accompanied every meal of Djoser as well as that of the humblest stonecutter.
Learn this, you who drink to my health: henqet is not a luxury, it is the golden blood of the Two Lands. Crumble the barely baked emmer bread, mix it with Nile water and crushed dates, then let the spirit of the grain work on its own, as Hapi swells the river. Drink it thick, from the jug, and you will stand from Ra's rising to his setting. Let my libation also rise to the gods.
Ingredients (period version)
- Underbaked emmer loaves — several (source of sugar and yeasts)
- Sprouted emmer grain (malt) — one part (fermentable sugars)
- Dates — a handful (sweetness and wild yeasts)
- Water — as needed (base)
Ingredients
- Wholemeal bread (ideally spelt) — 300 g, lightly toasted (starch and flavors)
- Crushed barley or wheat malt — 150 g (fermentable sugars)
- Pitted dates — 100 g (sweetness, fermentation starter)
- Water — 2 liters (base)
- Baker's yeast (optional, to kick-start) — a pinch (controlled fermentation)
Method
- Crumble the toasted bread and malt into a large container, cover with warm water, and crush the dates into it.
- Let infuse/macerate for several hours, stirring, to extract the sugars.
- Strain roughly through a cloth to remove the bulk of solids.
- Let ferment at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, covered with a cloth (add a pinch of yeast to ensure a start).
- Taste: as soon as the drink is slightly tangy and cloudy, refrigerate and drink within a few days. Very low-alcohol drink, serve cool.
How it was made : Excavations have revealed ancient Egyptian breweries; beer was brewed from cereal loaves and malt, sometimes flavored with dates. The beer was filtered through baskets and drunk cloudy, rich in live yeasts — a true liquid food.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a small clay jug with a reed straw, as in tomb paintings where beer was sipped directly from the jar.
Sources : Delwen Samuel, “Investigation of Ancient Egyptian Baking and Brewing Methods”, Science (1996) · Pierre Tallet, Histoire de la cuisine et de la gastronomie égyptiennes (PUF)
Djoser · Charactorium