An exploration of the existence of stereotypes and sexism in the UK brewing industry and culture
ALES &
FEMALES
An ode to the ancient goddess of brewing
Ninkasi
Credit: Mike Licht/Flickr
Carefully inscribed onto two ancient clay tablets is one worshiper's ode to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer and brewing.
Beer had become such a central part in the culture of the ancient civilisation of modern-day Iraq, they created a deity for our nation's now second favourite drink.
One anonymous author decided to etch their appreciation to her with the 'Hymn to Ninsaki' in 1800 BC.
Not only is the hymn one of the oldest recorded writings in history, it also poignantly correlates the significance and praise for beer with the original masters of the product - women.
According to scholars and translaters, the hymn is also the oldest recorded beer recipe in existence. However, because the methods were to create beer that was for only good for immediate consumption, attempts to recreate the brew have so far been unsuccessful.
Given birth by the flowing water (...)
Tenderly cared for by Ninhursaga,
Having founded your town upon wax, she completed its great walls for you.
Your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,
Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the abzu.
It is you who handle the ... dough with a big shovel,
Mixing, in a pit, the beerbread with sweet aromatics,
It is you who bake the beerbread in the big oven,
And put in order the piles of hulled grain.
It is you who water the earth-covered malt;
The noble dogs guard it even from the potentates.
It is you who soak the malt in a jar;
The waves rise, the waves fall.
It is you who spread the cooked mash on large reed mats; coolness overcomes.
It is you who hold with both hands the great sweetwort, brewing it with honey and wine.
You the sweetwort to the vessel.
You place the fermenting vat, which makes a pleasant sound, appropriately on top of a large collector vat.
It is you who pour out the filtered beer of the collector vat;
It is like the onrush of the Tigris and the Euphrates.
Credit: Wikipedia
Two clay tablets similar to the ones the hymn was discovered on
Sources