flipHenqet — Sweet Beer of Bread and Dates
Henqet — Sweet Beer of Bread and Dates
Why this dish? Beer was the drink of everyone, from servant to mistress of the house, drunk with every meal and poured on offering tables. In a well-off Egyptian home, it was brewed mild and thick, sweetened with dates — a daily drink as well as a gift to the gods.
A cloudy, sweet, nourishing fermented drink made from crumbled emmer bread and dates. More like a food-drink than modern beer, low in alcohol and slightly tangy.
You think you know beer? Ours is almost eaten with a spoon. We crumble half-baked bread into sweet water, throw in crushed dates, and let the brew come to life by itself, day after day, until it fizzes and thickens. We strain it through a reed sieve into a jar sealed with clay. I drink it in the morning, I pour it on the gods' table at night: there is no day in Egypt without henqet.
- •Half-baked emmer bread, crumbled — several loaves (fermentable base)
- •Ripe dates, crushed — a large handful (sugar/wild yeast)
- •Fresh water — a jar (liquid)
- •Sprouted barley grains (malt) — a handful (ferment)
Henqet — Sweet Beer of Bread and Dates
A cloudy, sweet, nourishing fermented drink made from crumbled emmer bread and dates. More like a food-drink than modern beer, low in alcohol and slightly tangy.
Why this dish? Beer was the drink of everyone, from servant to mistress of the house, drunk with every meal and poured on offering tables. In a well-off Egyptian home, it was brewed mild and thick, sweetened with dates — a daily drink as well as a gift to the gods.
You think you know beer? Ours is almost eaten with a spoon. We crumble half-baked bread into sweet water, throw in crushed dates, and let the brew come to life by itself, day after day, until it fizzes and thickens. We strain it through a reed sieve into a jar sealed with clay. I drink it in the morning, I pour it on the gods' table at night: there is no day in Egypt without henqet.
Ingredients (period version)
- Half-baked emmer bread, crumbled — several loaves (fermentable base)
- Ripe dates, crushed — a large handful (sugar/wild yeast)
- Fresh water — a jar (liquid)
- Sprouted barley grains (malt) — a handful (ferment)
Ingredients
- Stale spelt bread, crumbled — 300 g (fermentable base)
- Pitted dates, blended — 150 g (sugar/yeast)
- Warm spring water — 1.5 L (liquid)
- Baker's yeast (if no malt available) — a pinch (ferment)
Method
- Crumble the bread into a large container, add the blended dates and warm water.
- Stir in the pinch of yeast, cover with a cloth, and let ferment for 2 to 3 days at room temperature, stirring daily.
- Strain through a cheesecloth to remove the thick crumb.
- Store in a loosely closed bottle in a cool place for 1 to 2 days, so it becomes slightly fizzy.
- Serve cloudy, well chilled, shaken just before drinking. (Very low alcohol drink.)
How it was made : Egyptian beer (*henqet*) was brewed from partially baked barley or emmer bread, crumbled and fermented, sometimes sweetened with dates or honey. Thick and nourishing, it was strained through a sieve. The national drink, it appeared on all funerary offering lists alongside bread.
The contemporary twist : Served in a small frosted glass with a date slice on the rim, in the style of a "Pharaonic kvas" at fermentation bars.
Potiphar's Wife · Charactorium