Food and Drinks in Ancient India

The learned author was a pundit by profession, but at the same time an extraordinary scholar and critic in every sense of the word. Mitra traces the history of spirit-drinking in India, and argues that the earliest Brahman settlers were a spirit-drinking race, both soma-beer and strong spirits being used by them. Wine was sold publicly both for the use of God and the community. Strong arrack formed a prominent feature of Santramani and the Vajapaya rites. We find copious references to wine-drinking in the literature of later times from which Mitra quotes extensively to prove his statements. The matter and references are all drawn from authentic Sanskrit sources.