Post: The myth of Syrentum

Sirentum, a girl of rare beauty and sweetness, was born in Sorrento in the sixteenth century as a result of a vow made by her parents at the “Temple of the Sirens” (The Temple of Minerva) overlooking the Bay of Ieranto.

According to legend, her life was marked by the meeting in Marina Grande with the mermaid Partenope who revealed the love of a prince belonging to an important family of the time (probably the Durazzo family) and a future, contrary to the its peasant origins, as a queen. So it was. In short, the two young men married and led a life of travel demonstrating, on each return, great generosity towards their fellow citizens as it suited two future rulers. On 13 June 1558, due to the betrayal of a slave, the gates of the city were opened which was sacked by the Saracens, populations originating from North Africa and Asia Minor. Sorrento was put to “fire and sword” and many were the prisoners including the beautiful Sirentum.

Her return was possible only after a few years thanks to the Sorrentines who donated what they owned in order to get her back. It was during his captivity that Sirentum learned the primordial techniques for the production of a drink, obtained from the fermentation of cereals, as the Egyptians did thousands of years earlier. On his return Sirentum offered the drink as a gift to the Sirens taking it to the Temple.

The cultivation of the land in Sorrento has a thousand-year history; it is a fact that the Romans already cultivated the fertile plain east of Sorrento, called “planities”, by planting spelled, beans, wheat, broad beans, chickpeas, alfalfa and various types of vegetables. The presence of these crops allowed the
production of a “primitive” beer and its ritual offering to the Sirens. With the advent of the Bourbons, at the end of the 18th century, and the ecomonic-social reforms of Charles III, the cereal crops were replaced with those of citrus fruits, which experienced the maximum expansion between the 19th and 20th centuries, which made it impossible. the production of beer that was lost over time.

Today the Sorrento Brewery wants to re-propose that drink offered to the Sirens by offering you a quality craft beer that includes in some versions the use of Sorrento citrus fruits.

About the Author: admin_birrificiosorrento

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