Why was it considered bad to drink water in the Middle Ages?
Water in the Middle Ages was polluted, full of bacteria and, frankly, not fit to drink. This forced everyone — from commoners to royalty — to hydrate by way of beer. Except that they didn’t. The idea that people primarily drank beer throughout the Middle Ages is widespread — and also wrong.
Where did drinking water come from in the Middle Ages?
Drinking water in the Middle Ages usually came from the nearest stream, river, or lake, which meant that it was often contaminated and could run the…
What did they drink in the Middle Ages?
What did medieval people drink?
- Water–Yes, people drank water in the Middle Ages!
- Milk–among the Celts and later the Welsh and English, milk was drunk as well as eaten in great quantity as cheese, butter, cream, etc.
- Wine–Wine was drunk all over France and the Mediterranean where grapes were grown.
Did people used to drink alcohol instead of water?
So instead of drinking water, many people drank fermented and brewed beverages like beer, ale, cider, and wine. On average, an adult drank a gallon (a milk jug) of ale a day. People in colonial times believed alcohol was good for your health and many doctors prescribed and sold alcohol to their patients.
Did medieval people not drink water?
Many books and articles have repeated the notion that water was so polluted during this period that medieval men and women would only drink wine, ale or some other kind of beverage. However, there is plenty of evidence that people regularly drank water. Instead, they would speak of drinking ale or wine.
Why was beer safer than water?
Boiling the water also kills all germs, and makes the water potable again. Once the water has been brewed into beer, the alcohol contents will make it uninhabitable to most harmful germs to settle in, and it can be stored for months, and is still potable.
In another story, there were telltale marks where a hermit had knelt to drink from a river. Sometimes water was mixed with wine or sweeteners like honey, and a 14th century monk once listed water as a beverage preferred over beer. Water, it seems, was on everyone’s lips [source: Chevallier ].
How important was drinking water in medieval cities?
Records related to medieval cities also note the importance of drinking water, and the efforts by local leaders to give people access to it.
How did Medieval monks deal with alcohol?
Some hagiographic accounts relate how saints abstained from alcoholic beverages and drank water instead. Some of the more austere monastic communities also advocated relying on water. Moreover, medieval handbooks of penance often punished people for their sins by taking away their finer food and drink.
Who discovered alcohol in the Middle Ages?
The most important development regarding alcohol in the Middle Ages was that of distillation. Considerable disagreement exists over who discovered distillation. There’s also disagreement about when and where the discovery occurred. Some suggest that it was the Chinese who discovered distillation.