Bread and beer were the staples of the Egyptian diet and were even used as wages. Emmer wheat and barley were ground on stone querns, usually by women, mixed into dough and baked in molds or on hot surfaces, while the same grains were fermented to brew beer.
This display brings together grain, tools and models that illustrate how food was produced in ancient Egypt, a process also shown in tomb paintings and in wooden models placed in Middle Kingdom burials.
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, Cairo, opened in 2021 and traces Egyptian civilization from prehistory to the present; it is also home to the royal mummies moved from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.
