In November of 1922, British Archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the intact tomb of King Tut Ankh Amun – which was later shortened to the more commonly known King Tut. Consistent with the Egyptian funeral rituals, Tut was buried with 5398 items to safeguard and comfort him in the afterlife. The list of valued artifacts includes a solid gold coffin, a meticulously crafted face mask, several thrones, trumpets and other instruments, furniture, weapons including a dagger crafted from a meteorite, mummified foodstuffs, wine, and interestingly enough – emmer and barley.

Emmer is an ancient relative of the wheat used in many bakeries today. Emmer and barley were staples of the Egyptian diet in ancient times. While also used to bake bread, Egyptians fermented emmer and barley to make beer.  Consumed by both adults and children, beer was the drink of both poor and wealthy Egyptians. In fact, workers at Giza received beer three times a day as part of their rations. Some historians speculate the fermentation of emmer and barley was the catalyst to the creation of early settlements and the transition of our ancestors away from a nomadic existence.