Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Germany: The Purity Commandment
Description
Why did 27 words buried in a Bavarian price regulation from 1516 become the most famous food law in history — and why did it take 402 years for anyone to give it the name that made it sound ancient and inevitable? What was in German beer before hops arrived, why did the Church control it, and how did switching ingredients become an act of theological protest during the Reformation? And how did Bavaria hold its entry into the German Empire hostage to the extension of its beer law — and win?
Join John and Patrick as they tell the story of Germany and the Reinheitsgebot — the gruit monopoly, the hop revolution, and the purity commandment that forgot to mention yeast...
----------
In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
-----------
Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community.
Support us!
- Share this episode with your friends
- Give a 5-star rating
- Write a review
-----------
Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter here for extra stories related to recent episodes, book recommendations, a sneak peek of upcoming episodes and more.
-----------
Instagram, TikTok, Threads:
@historyoffreshproduce