Eli5 How did travelers/crusaders in medieval times get a clean and consistent source of water
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Beer and tea!!!
Most historic beers were less than 3% alcohol. So you didn’t really get to drunk on it. But it was enough to keep the nasties at bay!
Making beer also had the added benefit of making food more calories dense. 1 gram of carbohydrate is 3 calories, but 1 gram of alcohol is 7 calories! There are also a lot of micro nutrients created during fermentation that don’t otherwise exist in a bowl of barley or oatmeal.
I believe tea came about because boiled water, although safe for consumption, tastes funny, and if you added some fancy herbs to it. It tastes way better! So now you have a safe and delicious beverage that also provides a few calories and some bonus micro nutrients.
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