1. FOOD & DRINK IN ANCIENT EGYPT By Daniel Donnelly

2. Growing Crops Many parts of Egypt are dry desert, but near the River Nile the ground is fertile, so the ancient Egyptians could grow crops and had plenty to eat. The Egyptians grew wheat and barley. They ground the wheat into flour to make bread. Barley was used to make beer. Ancient Egyptians drank lots of beer because fresh water was not so easy to get.

3. Fruit and Vegetables Many different vegetables were grown and eaten by the ancient Egyptians including onions, leeks, garlic, beans, lettuce, lentils, cabbages, radishes and turnips. They also grew pomegranates, melons, plums, figs and grapes. They ate fruit as a dessert and they also made wine out of the pomegranates, plums and grapes. They made sweet cakes out of dates and honey.

4. Meat, Poultry and Fish There was lots of wildlife in the area around the Nile. Rich ancient Egyptians hunted and ate beef, mutton, goat and fish from the Nile. They also ate poultry: duck, crane, heron, pigeon and goose. The poor Egyptians didn’t eat meat very often, but they did eat poultry and fish. Fish, poultry and meat were boiled or roasted. If they did not want to eat it right away, it was preserved by drying and salting it.

5. Mealtimes Pictures from carvings show that wealthy people might have eaten two to three meals per day including a morning meal, a bigger lunch and a dinner later in the evening. Poorer people probably only ate breakfast and then a main meal in the afternoon. Ancient Egyptians often had banquets which started in the afternoon. Unless they were married, men and women sat separately. The most important people sat on chairs, slightly lower class people could sit on stools and the lowest class sat on the floor. Hand washing basins and perfumes were given out before the meal started.

6. I hope you enjoyed this presentation about ancient Egyptian food and drink. Thank you for watching!