A brief history of alcohol - Rod Phillips

Prevoditelj: Neda Vrkic Recezent: Sanda L

This chimpanzee stumbles across a windfall of overripe plums.

Ova čimpanza naleti na neočekivanu količinu prezrelih šljiva.

Many of them have split open,

Mnoge od njih su već raspuknute,

drawing him to their intoxicating fruity odor.

privlačeći je svojim opojnim voćnim mirisom.

He gorges himself

Prežderava se

and begins to experience some… strange effects.

i počinje doživljavati neke... čudne posljedice.

This unwitting ape has stumbled on a process

Ovaj nesmotren majmun je naišao na proces

that humans will eventually harness

koji će ljudi na kraju iskoristiti

to create beer, wine, and other alcoholic drinks.

da stvore pivo, vino i druga alkoholna pića.

The sugars in overripe fruit attract microscopic organisms

Šećeri u prezrelom voću privlače mikroskopske organizme

known as yeasts.

znane kao kvasci.

As the yeasts feed on the fruit sugars they produce a compound called ethanol—

Kako se kvasci hrane voćnim šećerima, proizvode spoj nazvan etanol --

the type of alcohol in alcoholic beverages.

vrstu alkohola u alkoholnim pićima.

This process is called fermentation.

Ovaj proces se zove fermentacija.

Nobody knows exactly when

Nitko ne zna točno

humans began to create fermented beverages.

kada su ljudi počeli stvarati fermentirana pića.

The earliest known evidence comes from 7,000 BCE in China,

Najraniji poznati dokaz potječe iz 7,000 pr. n. e. iz Kine,

where residue in clay pots

gdje su ostaci u glinenim posudama

has revealed that people were making an alcoholic beverage

otkrili da su ljudi pravili alkoholna pića

from fermented rice, millet, grapes, and honey.

od fermentirane riže, prosa, grožđa i meda.

Within a few thousand years,

U roku od nekoliko tisuća godina,

cultures all over the world were fermenting their own drinks.

kulture diljem svijeta fermentirale su svoja vlastita pića.

Ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians made beer throughout the year

Drevni Mezopotamci i Egipćani pravili su pivo tijekom cijele godine

from stored cereal grains.

od skladištenih zrna žitarica.

This beer was available to all social classes,

Ovo pivo bilo je dostupno svim društvenim slojevima,

and workers even received it in their daily rations.

i radnici su ga čak dobivali u svojim dnevnim obrocima.

They also made wine,

Također su pravili vino,

but because the climate wasn’t ideal for growing grapes,

ali zato što klima nije bila idealna za uzgoj grožđa,

it was a rare and expensive delicacy.

bila je to rijetka i skupa delicija.

By contrast, in Greece and Rome, where grapes grew more easily,

Suprotno tome, u Grčkoj i Rimu, gdje je grožđe lakše raslo,

wine was as readily available as beer was in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

vino je bilo lakše dostupno kao što je pivo bilo u Egiptu i Mezopotamiji.

Because yeasts will ferment basically any plant sugars,

Jer će kvasci u osnovi fermentirati bilo koje biljne šećere,

ancient peoples made alcohol

stari su narodi pravili alkohol

from whatever crops and plants grew where they lived.

od bilo kojih usjeva i biljaka koje su tamo rasle.

In South America, people made chicha from grains,

U Južnoj Americi, ljudi su pravili chichu od žitarica,

sometimes adding hallucinogenic herbs.

ponekad dodajući halucinogeno bilje.

In what’s now Mexico, pulque, made from cactus sap,

U današnjem Meksiku, pulque, napravljen od kaktusovog soka,

was the drink of choice,

bilo je piće izbora,

while East Africans made banana and palm beer.

dok su istočni Afrikanci pravili pivo od banane i palme.

And in the area that’s now Japan, people made sake from rice.

I na području koje je sada Japan, ljudi su pravili sake od riže.

Almost every region of the globe had its own fermented drinks.

Gotovo svaki kraj svijeta imao je vlastita fermentirana pića.

As alcohol consumption became part of everyday life,

Kako je konzumacija alkohola postala dio svakodnevnog života,

some authorities latched onto effects they perceived as positive—

neke vlasti su se zakačile za učinke koje su shvatile kao pozitivne.

Greek physicians considered wine to be good for health,

Grčki liječnici vino su smatrali dobrim za zdravlje

and poets testified to its creative qualities.

i pjesnici su svjedočili njegovim kreativnim kvalitetama.

Others were more concerned about alcohol’s potential for abuse.

Ostali su bili više zabrinuti zbog potencijalne zlouporabe alkohola.

Greek philosophers promoted temperance.

Grčki filozofi promicali su umjerenost.

Early Jewish and Christian writers in Europe integrated wine into rituals

Rani židovski i kršćanski pisci u Europi uklopili su vino u rituale,

but considered excessive intoxication a sin.

ali su pretjeranu opijenost smatrali grijehom.

And in the middle east, Africa, and Spain,

A na Bliskom Istoku, u Africi i Španjolskoj,

an Islamic rule against praying while drunk

islamsko pravilo protiv moljenja za vrijeme pijanstva

gradually solidified into a general ban on alcohol.

postupno se oblikovalo u opću zabranu alkohola.

Ancient fermented beverages had relatively low alcohol content.

Drevna fermentirana pića imala su relativno nizak udio alkohola.

At about 13% alcohol,

S oko 13% alkohola,

the by-products wild yeasts generate during fermentation

nusproizvodi koje divlji kvasci proizvode tijekom fermentacije

become toxic and kill them.

postaju toksični i ubiju ih.

When the yeasts die,

Kad kvasci umru,

fermentation stops and the alcohol content levels off.

fermentacija se zaustavlja i razina alkohola se stabilizira.

So for thousands of years, alcohol content was limited.

Dakle tisućama godina, udio alkohola bio je ograničen.

That changed with the invention of a process

To se promijenilo izumom procesa

called distillation.

koji se naziva destilacijom.

9th century Arabic writings describe boiling fermented liquids

Arapski spisi iz 9. stoljeća opisuju vrenje fermentirane tekućine

to vaporize the alcohol in them.

kako bi isparilo alkohol u njima.

Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water,

Alkohol vrije na nižoj temperaturi od vode

so it vaporizes first.

pa prvi isparava.

Capture this vapor, cool it down, and what’s left is liquid alcohol

Uzima se ta para, ohladi se i ono što ostaje je tekući alkohol

much more concentrated than any fermented beverage.

mnogo koncentriraniji nego bilo koji fermentirani napitak.

At first, these stronger spirits were used for medicinal purposes.

U početku, ovi jači alkoholi korišteni su u ljekovite svrhe.

Then, spirits became an important trade commodity

Tada, alkoholi su postali važna trgovačka roba

because, unlike beer and wine, they didn’t spoil.

jer se, za razliku od piva i vina, nisu kvarili.

Rum made from sugar

Rum napravljen od šećera

harvested in European colonies in the Caribbean

dobivenog iz europskih kolonija na Karibima

became a staple for sailors

postao je zaštitni znak mornara

and was traded to North America.

i prodavan je Sjevernoj Americi.

Europeans brought brandy and gin to Africa

Europljani su donijeli vinjak i džin u Afriku

and traded it for enslaved people, land,

i mijenali ih za porobljene ljude, zemlju

and goods like palm oil and rubber.

i dobra kao što su palmino ulje i guma.

Spirits became a form of money in these regions.

Alkoholi su postali oblik novca u ovim krajevima.

During the Age of Exploration,

Tijekom Doba Istraživanja

spirits played a crucial role in long distance sea voyages.

alkoholi su igrali ključnu ulogu na dugim morskim putovanjima.

Sailing from Europe to east Asia and the Americas could take months,

Plovidba od Europe do istočne Azije i Amerika mogla je trajati mjesecima,

and keeping water fresh for the crews was a challenge.

i održavanje vode svježom bio je izazov za posadu.

Adding a bucket of brandy to a water barrel kept water fresh longer

Dodavanje kante vinjaka u bačvu vode duže je vodu održavalo svježom,

because alcohol is a preservative that kills harmful microbes.

jer je alkohol konzervans koji ubija štetne mikrobe.

So by the 1600s,

Tako je do 1600-ih

alcohol had gone from simply giving animals a buzz

alkohol od jednostavnog podizanja raspoloženja kod životinja

to fueling global trade and exploration— along with all their consequences.

doveo do poticanja globalne trgovine i istraživanja -

zajedno sa svim svojim posljedicama.

As time went on,

Kako je vrijeme prolazilo,

its role in human society would only get more complicated.

njegova uloga u ljudskom društvu postajala je složenijom.