A recent article discussed the additions to wine made by the ancient Egyptians and called it ‘fortified.” Normally, we think of ‘fortified’ wines as those strengthened by the addition of Alcohol… there are a few social wine drinks made like that… one of my favorite is a ‘Kir’… white wine with added Creme de Cassis… not a big boost in alcohol… but a boost. The article makes the simple point:
“… people figured out that if you mixed some herbal medicines into an alcoholic medium, they’d be preserved longer and dissolve more fully than in water, making them more potent.”
The above container is described this way:
“The yellowish residue streaked across this shard pottery found in Abydos, Egypt, contains evidence of a 5100-year-old medicinal wine. Credit: German Archaeological Institute of Cairo”
Always thought it was interesting to see how long folks have been adding things to our diet that are supposed to be good for us… kinda like vegetables on the dinner table.
Roger Freberg