Barley water
Encyclopedia
Barley water, usually flavoured with lemon
or other fruit, is a traditional British
soft drink
. It is made by boiling washed pearl barley
, straining, then pouring the hot water over the rind and/or pulp of the fruit, and adding fruit juice and sugar to taste. The rind may also be boiled with the barley.
Drinking boiled grain in water, strained or not, is an ancient practice. Kykeon
(Gr. κυκεών, from κυκάω, "to stir, to mix") was an Ancient Greek drink made mainly of water, barley and naturally occurring substances. It was used at the climax of the Eleusinian Mysteries to break a sacred fast, but it was also a favourite drink of Greek peasants.
A Scottish example is atholl brose which is made with oats. In Mexico drinks called aguas frescas
are made by street vendors using similar methods. Roasted barley tea is a popular traditional Asian
equivalent.
Barley water has been used as a first baby food, before feeding with barley mush. It is also used as a home remedy for cystitis
.
Barley Water has a long association with Wimbledon
, being still the official drink supplied to players on the court.
In Britain, Robinsons Lemon Barley Water, now a Britvic
brand, is sold in bottles of 750ml of concentrate, which is usually diluted with three to five parts cold water. It was originally sold in glass bottles but this was changed to plastic bottles a few years ago. Orange Barley Water is also available.
politician Josiah Wedgwood
is said to have staged a filibuster
in Parliament
, sustaining himself with barley water and chocolate, in 1913.
In the film Mary Poppins
, the children want their "perfect nanny" to never smell of barley water.
In the Tortall books of Tamora Pierce
, the female knights ask for barley water or twilsey (fruit vinegar in water] in bars instead of alcoholic drinks.
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
or other fruit, is a traditional British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
. It is made by boiling washed pearl barley
Pearl barley
Pearl barley is barley processed to remove its hull and bran. Barley must have its fibrous outer hull removed before it can be eaten; pearl barley is taken a step further, polished to remove the nutritious bran layer....
, straining, then pouring the hot water over the rind and/or pulp of the fruit, and adding fruit juice and sugar to taste. The rind may also be boiled with the barley.
Drinking boiled grain in water, strained or not, is an ancient practice. Kykeon
Kykeon
Kykeon was an Ancient Greek drink made mainly of water, barley and naturally occurring substances. It was used at the climax of the Eleusinian Mysteries to break a sacred fast, but it was also a favourite drink of Greek peasants.Kykeon is mentioned in Homeric texts: the Iliad describes it as...
(Gr. κυκεών, from κυκάω, "to stir, to mix") was an Ancient Greek drink made mainly of water, barley and naturally occurring substances. It was used at the climax of the Eleusinian Mysteries to break a sacred fast, but it was also a favourite drink of Greek peasants.
A Scottish example is atholl brose which is made with oats. In Mexico drinks called aguas frescas
Aguas frescas
Ades, punches, fruit drinks and other non-alcoholic flavored coolers, known as aguas frescas in some parts of Latin America, are a combination of either fruits, cereals, or seeds with sugar and water, blended to make a beverage. Aguas frescas are popular in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean,...
are made by street vendors using similar methods. Roasted barley tea is a popular traditional Asian
Asian cuisine
Asian cuisine styles can be broken down into several tiny regional styles that have roots in the peoples and cultures of those regions. The major types can be roughly defined as East Asian with its origins in Imperial China and now encompassing modern Japan and the Korean peninsula; Southeast Asian...
equivalent.
Barley water has been used as a first baby food, before feeding with barley mush. It is also used as a home remedy for cystitis
Cystitis
Cystitis is a term that refers to urinary bladder inflammation that results from any one of a number of distinct syndromes. It is most commonly caused by a bacterial infection in which case it is referred to as a urinary tract infection.-Signs and symptoms:...
.
Barley Water has a long association with Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, being still the official drink supplied to players on the court.
In Britain, Robinsons Lemon Barley Water, now a Britvic
Britvic
Britvic plc is a British producer of soft drinks. It is the number two soft drinks producer in the UK. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
brand, is sold in bottles of 750ml of concentrate, which is usually diluted with three to five parts cold water. It was originally sold in glass bottles but this was changed to plastic bottles a few years ago. Orange Barley Water is also available.
In popular culture
The LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood
Colonel Josiah Clement Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood, DSO, PC, DL sometimes referred to as Josiah Wedgwood IV was a British Liberal and Labour politician who served in government under Ramsay MacDonald...
is said to have staged a filibuster
Filibuster
A filibuster is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is the right of an individual to extend debate, allowing a lone member to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal...
in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, sustaining himself with barley water and chocolate, in 1913.
In the film Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
, the children want their "perfect nanny" to never smell of barley water.
In the Tortall books of Tamora Pierce
Tamora Pierce
Tamora Pierce is an author of fantasy literature for young adults. She is an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania. Best known for writing stories involving young heroines, she made a name for herself with her first quartet The Song of the Lioness, which followed the main character Alanna...
, the female knights ask for barley water or twilsey (fruit vinegar in water] in bars instead of alcoholic drinks.