/u/darkroomdoor's posts in /r/AskHistorians

Year:

Only show posts with narrations

Humans have been fermenting alcoholic beverages since prehistoric times. When I homebrew, I must painstakingly sterilize, as errant microbes can literally render my beer undrinkable. Prior to the discovery of microbes and sterilization, how was the quality of alcohol maintained/explained?

258 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Western food culture during a certain period of time seemed obsessed with the idea of "digestion"...things that were hard to digest, things that made digestion easier, etc. Where did this come from, and why did it go away?

101 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

How did Italy end up with all those liqueurs?

28 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

How difficult would it have been for a Japanese person of relative means to consume land-based meat prior to the erosion of the meat-eating taboo in the late 19th century?

21 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Can someone provide context into the reported cannibalism of the Guangxi Massacre during China's Cultural Revolution?

6 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

What is the earliest recorded instance of humans being able to recognize time zones? In other words, when did humans realize that morning in one part of the world would be evening in another, and what were some of the reactions to this idea?

3 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Many nations in the late 20th century had issues with aristocracy and class struggle. Why did communism take root in Russia, and fail in most other European nations?

3 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Humans have been fermenting alcoholic beverages since prehistoric times. When I homebrew, I must painstakingly sterilize, as errant microbes can literally render my beer undrinkable. Prior to the discovery of microbes and sterilization, how was the quality of alcohol maintained/explained?	258
Western food culture during a certain period of time seemed obsessed with the idea of "digestion"...things that were hard to digest, things that made digestion easier, etc. Where did this come from, and why did it go away?	101
How did Italy end up with all those liqueurs?	28
How difficult would it have been for a Japanese person of relative means to consume land-based meat prior to the erosion of the meat-eating taboo in the late 19th century?	21
Can someone provide context into the reported cannibalism of the Guangxi Massacre during China's Cultural Revolution?	6
What is the earliest recorded instance of humans being able to recognize time zones? In other words, when did humans realize that morning in one part of the world would be evening in another, and what were some of the reactions to this idea?	3
Many nations in the late 20th century had issues with aristocracy and class struggle. Why did communism take root in Russia, and fail in most other European nations?	3