Barley Eurasian civilizations, as a whole, have survived and conquered others. Barley beer was probably one of the first alcoholic drinks developed by Neolithic humans. Barley later on was used as currency. The ancient Sumerian word for barley was "akiti". In ancient Mesopotamia, a stalk of barley was the primary symbol of the goddess Shala. Alongside emmer wheat, barley was a staple cereal of ancient Egypt, where it was used to make bread and beer. The general name for barley is "jt" (hypothetically pronounced "eat"); "šma" (hypothetically pronounced "SHE-ma") refers to Upper Egyptian barley and is a symbol of Upper Egypt.
Korean alcoholic drinks are six distinct flavors: sweet, sour, pungent, roasted, bitter and spicy. When the flavors are balanced, the alcohol is considered good quality. Most traditional Korean alcoholic drinks are rice wines, fermented with the aid of yeast and "nuruk" (a wheat-based source of the enzyme amylase). Main varieties include clear rice wines ("cheongju"), milky rice wine ("takju"), distilled liquor ("soju"), fruit wine ("gwasil-ju"), flower wines, and medicinal wines. "Makgeolli" (also known as "takju" and "nongju"), is a milky, sweet alcoholic drink made from rice. It is one of Korea's most-popular alcoholic drinks. The oldest traditional Korean rice wine, its alcohol content