Bappir
Encyclopedia
Bappir is a Sumerian
term used to describe a twice-baked barley bread that was primarily used in ancient Mesopotamia
n beer brewing. Historical research done at Anchor Brewing Co. in 1989 (documented in Charlie Papazian
's Home Brewer's Companion (ISBN 0-380-77287-6)) reconstructed a bread made from malt
ed barley
and barley flour with honey
and water and baked until hard enough to store for long periods of time; the finished product was probably crumbled and mixed with water, malt and either date
s or honey and allowed to ferment
, producing a somewhat sweet brew. It seems to have been drunk with a straw in the manner that yerba mate
is drunk now.
It is thought that bappir was seldom baked with the intent of being eaten; its storage qualities made it a good candidate for an emergency ration in times of scarcity, but its primary use seems to have been beer-making.
A modern homebrewing attempt at baking bappir (and the resultant brew) was done by the Maltose Falcons Home Brewing Society with a recipe of how to brew beer from bappir bread.
Sumerian language
Sumerian is the language of ancient Sumer, which was spoken in southern Mesopotamia since at least the 4th millennium BC. During the 3rd millennium BC, there developed a very intimate cultural symbiosis between the Sumerians and the Akkadians, which included widespread bilingualism...
term used to describe a twice-baked barley bread that was primarily used in ancient Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
n beer brewing. Historical research done at Anchor Brewing Co. in 1989 (documented in Charlie Papazian
Charlie Papazian
Charles N. "Charlie" Papazian is an American nuclear engineer who founded the Association of Brewers and the Great American Beer Festival, and wrote The Complete Joy of Home Brewing. Papazian is the current president of the Brewers Association...
's Home Brewer's Companion (ISBN 0-380-77287-6)) reconstructed a bread made from malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
ed barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
and barley flour with honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
and water and baked until hard enough to store for long periods of time; the finished product was probably crumbled and mixed with water, malt and either date
Date Palm
The date palm is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the Persian Gulf. It is a medium-sized plant, 15–25 m tall, growing singly or forming a clump with...
s or honey and allowed to ferment
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
, producing a somewhat sweet brew. It seems to have been drunk with a straw in the manner that yerba mate
Yerba mate
Maté, yerba maté or erva maté , Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay...
is drunk now.
It is thought that bappir was seldom baked with the intent of being eaten; its storage qualities made it a good candidate for an emergency ration in times of scarcity, but its primary use seems to have been beer-making.
A modern homebrewing attempt at baking bappir (and the resultant brew) was done by the Maltose Falcons Home Brewing Society with a recipe of how to brew beer from bappir bread.
See also
- NinkasiNinkasiNinkasi is the ancient Sumerian matron goddess of the intoxicating beverage, beer.Her father was Enki, the lord Nudimmud, and her mother was Ninti, the queen of the Abzu. She is also one of the eight children created in order to heal one of the eight wounds that Enki receives. Furthermore, she is...
, the Sumerian goddess of beer - BiscottiBiscottiBiscotti more correctly known as biscotti di Prato , also known as cantuccini , are twice-baked biscuits originating in the Italian city of Prato...
, a similarly twice-baked modern bread that is often eaten as a sweet course with wine or coffee