It's difficult to give a very precise date for the very first beer in the world. However, the traces most often mentioned refer to Mesopotamian origins, dating back to 4000 BC.

A clay tablet found in the Mesopotamian city of Uruk (southern Iraq today) reveals the chance "invention" of beer would date back to 6000. The inhabitants of this region used to bake cakes and bread with barley. When dry, these foods were then softened in hot water. However, all it would have taken was a happy oversight for a barley loaf to remain in the water to very naturally create the world's first beer, thanks to natural yeasts and the fermentation process.

But what to name this very first beer ? The Akkadian language came up with an excellent name, which was sikaru, for liquid bread. This term was used for a long time in this region and in Asia.

You can also discover the names of beers in the Middle Ages.