Drink like a pilgrim…
Believe it or not, the pilgrims brought beer to the new world with them. Yes, beer. Alcohol was only frowned upon when it was abused. You’ve heard the term, “don’t drink the water.” That saying doesn’t only apply to trips to Mexico. In the seventeenth century water was often polluted and went rancid quickly when stored in wooden barrels, whereas liquor kept well at sea.
What kind of beer did the pilgrims drink? One source speculates bitters. Bitters is an English term for pale ale. Pale ale is a common style of beer, however back in the seventeenth century pale ale was made from malt dried with coke. No, not Coca Cola, coke is a form of coal.
Beer was actually safer to drink than water.Everyone including children drank beer. Beer and wine were standard drinks in their day and in hindsight, they were also preventatives.
Fun Facts
- The polyphenols in beer and wine act as an anti-microbial agent and prevent bacterial diarrhea
- The alcohol in beer killed bugs like typhus and cholera
- Typhus is a bacterial disease that results in rashes, high fevers, chills, delirium, nausea, vomiting, severe headaches, all over body and joint pain
- Cholera is a bacterial infection in the small intestines resulting in vomiting and diarrhea
There were no facilities on the ship unless you count the buckets that were used. There was also no bathing as the questionable water was very guarded. One can only assume that it was boiled and used for cooking.
Only forty of the 130 people on the Mayflower were seeking religious freedom. The passenger list for the Mayflower consisted of 50 men, 20 women, 32 children and the rest were the crew. Even though the religious freedom seekers called the rest of the passengers adventurers, in the end all the passengers were known as pilgrims. The Mayflower’s voyage lasted 65 days. Can you imagine the condition of these poor souls living in cramped quarters and non-existent hygiene?
Beer didn’t have the same connotations back then as it does today. The pilgrims weren’t having happy hours. They were just trying to survive.
So if you want to drink like a pilgrim, enjoy pale ale in moderation and call it medicinal. Tell people that you are staving off bacteria.
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