German report: Iraqi beer
German report: Iraqi beer
2025-09-05
Shafaq News – Berlin
A German report on Thursday shed light on the origins of beer, amid a widespread belief among many that it originated in Europe, specifically in the German state of Bavaria, due to its association with the hustle and bustle of the Oktoberfest festival.
According to the Deutsche Welle Arabic (DW) website, the story began not in Germany, but on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers six thousand years ago, when a Sumerian baker forgot his dough in the sun and thus discovered the first beer in history.
The report indicated that the Sumerians later mastered its manufacture, to the point that it was mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh. It then spread to ancient Egypt, where the pharaohs loved it and immortalized it on the walls of their temples.
According to the website, in the 19th century, with the onset of the Industrial Revolution, French scientist Louis Pasteur discovered yeast, and the enactment of the German “Beer Purity Law” in Bavaria contributed to enhancing the reputation of German beer.
As a result, there are now more than 1,500 breweries in Germany alone, producing approximately 5,000 different types of beer. Germany has thus become the third-largest European consumer of this beverage, which began its journey as a dough in Sumer and has evolved into a culture that has accompanied humanity for thousands of years.
shafaq.com
