Part 8/13:
Traditionally, historians believed that agriculture led to alcohol production—once people discovered fermenting grains and fruits as a means of food preservation and enhancement. However, recent evidence challenges this view, suggesting that hunter-gatherers may have cultivated and used alcohol before the domestication of crops.
The hosts discuss the "beer before bread" hypothesis, proposing that the desire to get high could have motivated early human groups to settle down and focus on cultivating wild grains and brewing alcohol. For instance, in South America, the ancient drink "chicha" was made from wild maize and other plants, which were likely cultivated for their intoxicating properties rather than for food alone.