A cereal plant that is immeasurably old is Barley (Hordeum). Even in antiquity its grains (which contain starchy protein, sugars and fats) were boiled and roasted. Two-row barley is generally grown throughout the temperate zone of the world. It grows at high altitudes, in the Himalayan up to 4,000m above sea level. Barley was known to the Asiatics at least 7,000 years ago. For the Egyptians and Romans, barley was less valued as a cereal. They did not grow it as a cereal but for its malt for making beer. In Rome, barley bread was provided for the poor, the gladiators and soldiers.
On the other hand, fermentation barley was popular. The grains are first allowed to germinate. The sprouts are then removed and the malt is dried. It is then crushed, mixed with warm water, boiled, cooled and beer yeast Saccharomyces is added and liquid is left to ferment. The fermentation process changes the sugar in the young into alcohol. It is allowed to mature for several weeks or months according to the strength and quality desired.
However, barley is linked to a much stronger alcoholic beverages—the well known Whisky. This drink of Scottish origin dating from 15th century was, and still is manufactured by cereal mainly barley.
Good whisky is stored from 7 to 10 years to mature.
Green tea:
In addition to the Holly (Ilex aquifolium) which is used as Christmas decoration, there are several useful of this plant in South America, especially the mate shrub (Ilex paraguariensis). A tea prepared from its leaves is the daily drink of the people living in South America.
The dried, crushed green tea leaves yerba matte have smoky smell. Like true tea, it affects the nervous system, having a calming effect while sharpening the senses.
It contains sugar, traces of essential oil and vanilla.
Black Lemonade:
The American soft drink coca-cola is one of few drinks drunk all over the world. But while everyone knows what they are drinking and they do not always know what it contains. The name of the dark drink with its quantity of bubbles in instantly recognizable.
The basis of this soft drink comes from the seeds of a West African tree, the Cola acuminata. This tree and also the Cola vera and other sps are grown in the Brazil and Africa. The raw material for this drink is seeds often called nuts.
The seeds contain tannic acid, starch, proteins and sugar. The drink made from them is stimulating and refreshing. The chemical contained in coffee and tea bushes as well as coca bush, is natural insecticide.
Narcotics:
Betel
:
South- East Asia provides another intoxicant. Here local people seek out the leaves of Betel (Piper betle). They spread the dampen leaves with quick lime from shells and snails. Then they wrap up in the leaf a piece of the betel nut, the fruit of palm Areca catechu.
There are 650 sps of the pepper plant growing in the Asian and American tropics. The ‘nut’ which is wrapped for chewing in the betel leaf, is the seed of the palm Areca catechu. The unripe seeds contain a red dye and brown tannic acid. Together, they color the saliva red and turn teeth black. By chewing the bitter tasting lump, a chemical is released. It stimulates digestion and alleviates tiredness.
Fiery water:
Spirit is a strong, intoxicating drink, which is very popular amongst white people. This strong form of alcohol, obtained from plums and other fruit. We find first mention made by Aristotle. The Arab physician Jabir, the father of alchemy, known also under the Latinized name of Geber, describes a distillation process and the manner in which the fumes of heated wine, when cooled turns into liquid.
The alchemists looked upon pure alcohol obtained through distilling as a most valuable “herbal quicksilver”. With the expansion of technology in the 18th and 19th centuries, the production of spirits was also expanded. A quantity of kinds and brands, many of them still existing to this day, came into being. They were the result of the distilling of various fermented fruits such as apricots, peaches, grapes, apples, palm and rice wines, cherries rowan berries , juniper berries, raspberries, wheat and also honey and spices.
One of the well- known spirits is plum is brandy made from distilling of fermented plums.
