What is the main idea of a History of the World in 6 Glasses?

What is the main idea of a History of the World in 6 Glasses?

A History of the World in 6 Glasses (2006) is a look at human history through an unusual lens: our favorite drinks. These blinks outline the global rise of beer, wine, alcoholic spirits, tea, coffee and soda, and how they each played into major historical developments as they spread around the world.

What drink was called the Great Soberer?

Coffee was the great soberer. Coffee was a manifestation of modernity and progress. Coffee became a symbol of intellectualism, and indeed, the ideal beverage for the new Age of Reason.

Which drink does Standage argue is most directly related to the Enlightenment?

Perhaps the key drink of the Enlightenment, according to Standage, was coffee. Coffee had been popular in the Muslim world for many hundreds of years, in part because Islam forbade the drinking of alcohol. In the late Middle Ages, coffee arrived in Europe thanks to the strength of Muslim trading networks.

Where did wine become an important drink?

4000 BC). The earliest evidence of steady production of wine has been found in Armenia (c. 4100 BC) while the earliest evidence of a grape and rice mixed based fermented drink was found in ancient China (c. 7000 BC),.

Why were wine and water important to each other?

A bowl of wine that contained equal parts water and wine was considered to be very strong. It was believed that no human being could drink pure wine without becoming mad and violent—only Dionysus himself could do such a thing safely. Unbeknownst to the Greeks, it was actually life-saving to mix water and wine.

How was beer used by the Sumerian and Egyptian civilizations?

In Sumer, as well as in Egypt and Mesopotamia, people were required to pay taxes in the form of grain. In general, bread and beer were regarded as the bases of all life—so much so that in Egypt, “bread and beer” was an expression of good luck and prosperity. The Egyptians also used beer as a sedative during surgeries.

What scientific theory was born in a coffeehouse?

Perhaps the greatest book of the Age of Enlightenment was published because of coffeehouse conversation. Robert Hooke, the noted physicist, was drinking coffee with Halley, Wren, and Newton. Hooke brought up the inverse square law: the mathematical rule that was thought to govern the motion of planets.

Why was tea associated with England and not France?

For various reasons, Britain became the nation most heavily associated with tea. Perhaps the best answer is that Britain had the largest and most powerful navy in the world beginning in the 17th century, and this meant that the country could acquire more tea and pass it on to its people.

How did wine change society?

Wine was originally associated with social elites and religious activities. Wine snobbery may be nearly as old as wine itself. Greeks and Romans produced many grades of wine for various social classes. The quest for quality became an economic engine and later drove cultural expansion.

How did beer change society?

Beer and Civilization Solomon Katz theorizes that when man learned to ferment grain into beer more than 10,000 years ago, it became one of his most important sources of nutrition. Beer gave people protein that unfermented grain couldn’t supply. Once he did, civilization was just a stone’s throw away.

Who invented wine?

Research has suggested that wine originated between 6000 and 3000 B.C. between the Nile and the Persian Gulf, in the territories of modern Iran and Georgia. In fact the data indicates that it may have happened by accident when wild yeast fermented the grapes that people there stored as food.