Liquid Bread Beer and Brewing in Cross-Cultural Perspective [Hardcover]

Beer is an ancient alcoholic drink which, although produced through a more complex process than wine, was developed by a wide range of cultures to become internationally popular. This book is the first multidisciplinary, cross-cultural collection about beer. It explores the brewing processes used in antiquity and in traditional societies; the social and symbolic roles of beer-drinking; the beliefs and activities associated with it; the health-promoting effects as well as the health-damaging risks; and analyses the modern role of large multinational companies, which own many of the breweries, and the marketing techniques that they employ.

CHOICEOUTSTANDING ACADEMIC BOOK OF THE YEAR 2011

WINNER OF THE 2011 GOURMAND WORLD COOKBOOK UK AWARD

This important volume sheds new light on the social, political, and economic role of beer in society and greatly increases the depth and breadth of anthropological studies on drinking. Schiefenh?vel and Macbeth have compiled a holistic and to some extent comprehensive volume that embraces biological, archaeological, linguistic, and sociocultural perspectives on beer...Highly Recommended. ?????Choice

This volume has three main strengths, although a careful reading of each of its chapters will yield many other gems of insight and information&makes a solid and I expect long-lasting contribution to the anthropology of food.? ??JRAI

This book is both an excellent source of original interdisciplinary research on many aspects of beer and an entertaining read, suitable for both scholars and the educated general public. It contains well written studies of a beverage that has become a staple in many cultures, including those of the German-speaking peoples.? ??Yearbook of German-American Studies????

With contributions from a wide range of dislã+