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Bappir

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bappir
TypeBread
Place of originAncient Mesopotamia
Main ingredientsMalted barley, barley flour, honey, water
Other informationUsed for brewing beer

Bappir was a Sumerian twice-baked barley bread that was primarily used in ancient Mesopotamian beer brewing. Historical research done at Anchor Brewing Co. in 1989 (documented in Charlie Papazian's Home Brewer's Companion (ISBN 0-380-77287-6)) reconstructed a bread made from malted barley and barley flour with honey, spices[1] and water and baked until hard enough to store for long periods of time; the finished product was probably crumbled and mixed with water, malt and either dates or honey and allowed to ferment for a few days, producing a somewhat sweet brew. It seems to have been drunk flat without bottling or conditioning with a straw in the manner that yerba mate is drunk now.

It is thought that bappir was seldom baked with the intent of being eaten; its storage qualities made it a good candidate for an emergency ration in times of scarcity, but its primary use seems to have been beer-making.

A modern interpretation of Sumerian bappir bread was brewed and bottled in 2016 by Anchorbrew.[2]

See also

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  • Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer
  • Biscotti, a similarly twice-baked modern bread that is often eaten as a sweet course with wine or coffee

References

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  1. ^ "Brewing ancient Sumerian beer". Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Sumerian Beer Project". 26 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2022.