A brief history of alcohol - Rod Phillips

譯者: Jie Cao 審譯者: Bruce Sung

This chimpanzee stumbles across a windfall of overripe plums.

這隻黑猩猩意外發現了這些 樹上掉下的熟透的梅子

Many of them have split open,

它們大都已經裂開 散發出醉人的果香

drawing him to their intoxicating fruity odor.

He gorges himself

牠大口吃起來，然後 開始有些……奇怪的感覺

and begins to experience some… strange effects.

This unwitting ape has stumbled on a process

這隻猩猩無意中發現了一種 人類最終廣泛採用的工藝

that humans will eventually harness

to create beer, wine, and other alcoholic drinks.

用來製造啤酒、葡萄酒 以及其他酒精飲料

The sugars in overripe fruit attract microscopic organisms

熟透的水果含有大量的糖分 會吸引來一種叫「酵母」的微生物

known as yeasts.

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

在酵母分解果糖的時候 會產出一種叫「乙醇」的化合物

the type of alcohol in alcoholic beverages.

這也就是飲料中的「酒精」

This process is called fermentation.

這個過程叫做「發酵」

Nobody knows exactly when

沒有人知道人類是從什麽時候 開始製作發酵飲品的

humans began to create fermented beverages.

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

最早的證據可以追溯到 西元前 7000 年的中國

where residue in clay pots

在陶器中發現的殘留物

has revealed that people were making an alcoholic beverage

顯示當時人們有在製作發酵的飲料

from fermented rice, millet, grapes, and honey.

原材料包括發酵的稻米、 小米、葡萄和蜂蜜

Within a few thousand years,

幾千年以來

cultures all over the world were fermenting their own drinks.

全世界各個文明都在 製作自己的發酵飲料

Ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians made beer throughout the year

古代美索不達米亞人 和古埃及人會用儲存起來的穀物

from stored cereal grains.

在一年四季任何時候製作啤酒

This beer was available to all social classes,

這種啤酒在各個社會階層都很常見

and workers even received it in their daily rations.

甚至會作爲每日的配給發給工人們

They also made wine,

他們也會製作葡萄酒，但是因爲 那裏的天氣不適合種植葡萄

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

it was a rare and expensive delicacy.

葡萄酒是一種稀有、昂貴的珍品

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

相比之下，在適合葡萄 生長的希臘和羅馬

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

葡萄酒就像啤酒在埃及 和美索不達米亞一樣普遍

Because yeasts will ferment basically any plant sugars,

因爲酵母可以發酵任何植物的糖分

ancient peoples made alcohol

古代人會用在地的 任何穀物和植物製作酒精飲料

from whatever crops and plants grew where they lived.

In South America, people made chicha from grains,

在南美洲，人們會用穀物 製作一種叫「奇恰」的飲料

sometimes adding hallucinogenic herbs.

有時還會加入一些引起幻覺的草藥

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

在今天墨西哥所在的地方，人們喜歡 飲用仙人掌汁液製作的龍舌蘭酒

was the drink of choice,

while East Africans made banana and palm beer.

而在東非，人們會用香蕉 和棕櫚葉製作啤酒

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

在今天日本所在的地區 人們用稻米製作清酒

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

幾乎全世界所有地區 都有自己的發酵飲料

As alcohol consumption became part of everyday life,

隨著飲酒成爲人們 日常生活的一部分

some authorities latched onto effects they perceived as positive—

一些權威人士認爲酒精可以 帶來積極的影響而對它大加贊賞

Greek physicians considered wine to be good for health,

希臘的醫學家認爲葡萄酒有益健康

and poets testified to its creative qualities.

詩人們認爲喝酒可以激發創作

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

另一些人卻擔心過度飲用的危害

Greek philosophers promoted temperance.

希臘哲學家們積極提倡戒酒

Early Jewish and Christian writers in Europe integrated wine into rituals

早期歐洲的猶太人和基督教作家 會將葡萄酒納入儀式的一部分

but considered excessive intoxication a sin.

但他們認爲過度酗酒是一種罪惡

And in the middle east, Africa, and Spain,

在中東，非洲和西班牙

an Islamic rule against praying while drunk

伊斯蘭教條中禁止在 醉酒狀態下祈禱的規定

gradually solidified into a general ban on alcohol.

最終演變成了全面禁止飲酒

Ancient fermented beverages had relatively low alcohol content.

古代的發酵飲料的酒精度相對比較低

At about 13% alcohol,

在酒精度到達 13% 時 野生酵母產生的副產物

the by-products wild yeasts generate during fermentation

become toxic and kill them.

帶有毒性，能夠殺死酵母

When the yeasts die,

酵母死亡后，發酵過程停止 酒精度也就不會繼續上升了

fermentation stops and the alcohol content levels off.

So for thousands of years, alcohol content was limited.

因此在數千年中 酒精含量都是有限的

That changed with the invention of a process

這種局面在發明蒸餾工藝後被打破

called distillation.

9th century Arabic writings describe boiling fermented liquids

九世紀阿拉伯的文獻中 記載了將發酵液加熱到沸騰

to vaporize the alcohol in them.

將其中的酒精蒸發

Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water,

酒精的沸點低於水 因此它會先變成蒸氣

so it vaporizes first.

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

將這些蒸氣收集、冷卻 最後就會得到液體酒精

much more concentrated than any fermented beverage.

它的濃度會比任何發酵的飲料都要高

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

一開始，這種高濃度的 烈酒被用於醫療目的

Then, spirits became an important trade commodity

後來，它們變成了重要的交易品

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

因爲和啤酒、葡萄酒不同 它們不會變質

Rum made from sugar

在歐洲人殖民的加勒比海地區 用當地收穫的糖製作而成的朗姆酒

harvested in European colonies in the Caribbean

became a staple for sailors

成爲了水手們主要的飲料 被賣到了北美

and was traded to North America.

Europeans brought brandy and gin to Africa

歐洲人把白蘭地和琴酒帶到非洲

and traded it for enslaved people, land,

用它們來交換奴隸、土地 和一些諸如棕櫚油和橡膠的商品

and goods like palm oil and rubber.

Spirits became a form of money in these regions.

在這些地區，烈酒成爲 金錢的另一種形式

During the Age of Exploration,

在大航海時代

spirits played a crucial role in long distance sea voyages.

烈酒在遠距離航海中 扮演了重要的角色

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

從歐洲乘船前往東亞 和美洲可以耗時數月

and keeping water fresh for the crews was a challenge.

如何保存飲用水就成爲了難題

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

在盛水的大桶裏加一小桶 白蘭地就能讓水保鮮更久

because alcohol is a preservative that kills harmful microbes.

因爲酒精是一種保鮮劑 能殺死有害的微生物

So by the 1600s,

到 17 世紀爲止

alcohol had gone from simply giving animals a buzz

酒精已經從最初讓動物 產生幻覺的神奇飲料

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

變成了加速全球貿易和開發 以及其後果的媒介

As time went on,

隨著時間的推移，它在人類社會中 扮演的角色還會越來越複雜

its role in human society would only get more complicated.