A brief history of alcohol - Rod Phillips

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Korom

This chimpanzee stumbles across a windfall of overripe plums.

Ova šimpanza je nabasala na opale prezrele šljive.

Many of them have split open,

Mnoge su raspukle

drawing him to their intoxicating fruity odor.

i mame ga svojim opojnim voćnim mirisom.

He gorges himself

On se prežderava

and begins to experience some… strange effects.

i počinje da doživljava neke... čudne efekte.

This unwitting ape has stumbled on a process

Ovaj neupućeni majmun je nabasao na proces

that humans will eventually harness

kojim će ljudi vremenom da ovladaju

to create beer, wine, and other alcoholic drinks.

kako bi stvorili pivo, vino i druga alkoholna pića.

The sugars in overripe fruit attract microscopic organisms

Šećeri u prezrelom voću privlače mikroskopske organizme

known as yeasts.

poznate kao kvasac.

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

Kako se kvasac hrani voćnim šećerom, proizvodi jedinjenje poznato kao etanol -

the type of alcohol in alcoholic beverages.

a to je vrsta alkohola u alkoholnim pićima.

This process is called fermentation.

Ovaj proces se naziva fermentacijom.

Nobody knows exactly when

Niko ne zna tačno kada

humans began to create fermented beverages.

su ljudi počeli da prave fermentisana pića.

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

Najraniji poznati dokazi potiču od pre 7 000 p.n.e. iz Kine

where residue in clay pots

gde 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 fermentisanog pirinča, prosa, grožđa i meda.

Within a few thousand years,

Za nekoliko hiljada godina,

cultures all over the world were fermenting their own drinks.

kulture širom sveta su fermentisale svoja pića.

Ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians made beer throughout the year

Drevni Mesopotamci i Egipćani su pravili pivo tokom godine

from stored cereal grains.

od uskladištenih zrna žitarica.

This beer was available to all social classes,

Ovo pivo je bilo dostupno svim društvenim klasama,

and workers even received it in their daily rations.

a radnici su ga čak dobijali u dnevnim sledovanjima.

They also made wine,

Takođe su pravili vino,

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

ali kako klima nije bila idealna za uzgoj grožđa,

it was a rare and expensive delicacy.

radilo se o retkoj i skupoj poslastici.

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

Nasuprot tome, u Grčkoj i Rimu gde se grožđe lakše uzgaja,

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

vino je bilo lako dostupno poput piva u Egiptu i Mesopotamiji.

Because yeasts will ferment basically any plant sugars,

Kako kvasac fermentiše u suštini šećer svake biljke,

ancient peoples made alcohol

drevni ljudi su pravili alkohol

from whatever crops and plants grew where they lived.

od bilo koje žitarice ili biljke koja je rasla u njihovom kraju.

In South America, people made chicha from grains,

U Južnoj Americi, ljudi su pravili piće čiča od žitarica,

sometimes adding hallucinogenic herbs.

ponekad dodajući halucinogene biljke.

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

U današnjem Meksiku, pulke, pripremljen od kaktusovog soka

was the drink of choice,

je bilo omiljeno piće.

while East Africans made banana and palm beer.

Dok su Istočnoafrikanci pravili pivo od banane i palme.

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

A u oblasti današnjeg Japana, ljudi su pravili sake od pirinča.

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

Skoro da je svaka oblast na svetu imala sopstvena fermentisana pića.

As alcohol consumption became part of everyday life,

Kako je konzumiranje alkohola postalo deo svakodnevice,

some authorities latched onto effects they perceived as positive—

neki autoriteti su isticali efekte koje su smatrali pozitivnim -

Greek physicians considered wine to be good for health,

grčki lekari su smatrali da je vino dobro za zdravlje,

and poets testified to its creative qualities.

a pesnici su svedočili njegovim kreativnim kvalitetima.

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

Drugi su bili više zabrinuti zbog potencijalne zloupotrebe alkohola.

Greek philosophers promoted temperance.

Grčki filozofi su se zalagali za umerenost.

Early Jewish and Christian writers in Europe integrated wine into rituals

Rani jevrejski i hrišćanski pisci iz Evrope su uvrstili vino u rituale,

but considered excessive intoxication a sin.

ali su smatrali preteranu opijenost grehom.

And in the middle east, Africa, and Spain,

A na srednjem istoku, Africi i Španiji,

an Islamic rule against praying while drunk

islamsko pravilo o zabrani molitve u pijanom stanju

gradually solidified into a general ban on alcohol.

se vremenom učvrstilo kao uopštena zabrana alkohola.

Ancient fermented beverages had relatively low alcohol content.

Drevna fermentisana pića su imala relativno nizak procenat alkohola.

At about 13% alcohol,

Pri oko 13% alkohola,

the by-products wild yeasts generate during fermentation

nusproizvod koji divlji kvasac proizvodi tokom fermentacije

become toxic and kill them.

postaje otrovan i ubija kvasac.

When the yeasts die,

Kada kvasac umre,

fermentation stops and the alcohol content levels off.

fermentacija prestaje i sadržaj alkohola opada.

So for thousands of years, alcohol content was limited.

Stoga je hiljadama godina procenat alkohola bio ograničen.

That changed with the invention of a process

To se promenilo kada je izumljen proces

called distillation.

koji se naziva destilacijom.

9th century Arabic writings describe boiling fermented liquids

Arapski zapisi iz devetog veka opisuju kuvanje fermentisanih tečnosti

to vaporize the alcohol in them.

kako bi alkohol iz njih ispario.

Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water,

Alkohol ključa na nižoj temperaturi od vode,

so it vaporizes first.

pa isparava prvi.

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

Uhvatite ovu paru, ohladite je i ostače vam tečni alkohol

much more concentrated than any fermented beverage.

mnogo jači od bilo kog fermentisanog pića.

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

U početku su ovi jači špiriti korišćeni u medicinske svrhe.

Then, spirits became an important trade commodity

Potom je špirit postao važna trgovinska roba

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

jer se, za razliku od piva i vina, nije kvario.

Rum made from sugar

Rum koji je pravljen od šećera

harvested in European colonies in the Caribbean

nabavljenog u evropskim kolonijama u Karibima

became a staple for sailors

je postao važna namirnica za mornare

and was traded to North America.

i prodavan je Severnoj Americi.

Europeans brought brandy and gin to Africa

Evropljani su doneli brendi i džin u Afriku

and traded it for enslaved people, land,

i menjali su ih za robove, zemlju

and goods like palm oil and rubber.

i dobra poput palminog ulja i gume.

Spirits became a form of money in these regions.

Špirit je postao vid novca u ovim oblastima.

During the Age of Exploration,

Tokom velikih geografskih otkrića,

spirits played a crucial role in long distance sea voyages.

špirit je igrao ključnu ulogu u dugim pomorskim putovanjima.

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

Plovidba od Evrope do istočne Azije i Amerika je mogla da traje mesecima,

and keeping water fresh for the crews was a challenge.

a održavanje sveže vode za posadu je bio izazov.

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

Dodavanjem kofe brendija u bure s vodom je održavalo vodu duže svežom

because alcohol is a preservative that kills harmful microbes.

jer je alkohol konzervans koji ubija štetne mikrobe.

So by the 1600s,

Dakle, do 1600-ih,

alcohol had gone from simply giving animals a buzz

alkohol je od nečega što tek pruža užitak životinjama

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

postao pokretač globalne trgovine i otkrića - kao i svega što je išlo uz to.

As time went on,

Vremenom

its role in human society would only get more complicated.

će njegova uloga u ljudskom društvu da postane samo složenija.