Chinese pottery vessels dating from B. The first batch of mead was probably a chance discovery: Early foragers likely drank the contents of a rainwater-flooded beehive that had fermented naturally with the help of airborne yeast. Once knowledge of mead production was in place, it spread globally, and was popular with Vikings, Mayans, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans alike. For this reason, mead continued to factor heavily in Greek ceremonies even after its eventual decline in drinking popularity.
Infusing herbs into a sweet mead made them more palatable, and different varieties were thought to improve digestion, help with depression and alleviate good old-fashioned hypochondria. These types of spiced, herbal meads are called metheglin, derived from the Welsh word for medicine.
A single honeybee produces a meager twelfth of a teaspoon of honey per day. Because most meads require up to two gallons of the sweet stuff, each drop is precious. Traditional mead often uses a mild honey such as orange blossom, clover or acacia, but wildflower, blackberry and buckwheat honeys produce great results with sturdier spiced meads. Sweet, dry, still or sparkling—all describe varieties of mead. Chaucer also mentions spiking his claret with honey—clearly he had a sweet tooth. Mead made its mark on other literary worlds, too.
Even J. Sumptuously decorated with a straw roof that appeared to shine like gold from a distance, the mead hall was a space of great importance and power. Queen Elizabeth II has been known to throw back a goblet of mead, and even maintains a favorite recipe made with rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and sweet briar.
After 12 months the mead can be stored for a further 12 months, and by this time it will be more mature and very drinkable. Currently, there are no Irish stockists of traditional mead. Mead is the fastest growing segment of the American alcohol beverage industry, so to you budding entrepreneurs and beekeepers, it seems that this fermented honey drink is tiptoeing out from the shadows and has the potential to amass you a fortune — so get brewing.
Think of it as making them show their heads above the parapet. Try beetroot, spinach and salad leaves but really there is no wrong edible to start now to plant out in warmer weather. Our Covid-free newsletter brings together some of the best bits from irishexaminer. A lunchtime summary of content highlights on the Irish Examiner website.
Delivered at 1pm each day. Judge urges siblings in battle over 'modest' estate to seek a compromise. More in this section. Interiors: How to spruce up an old sofa and give it a makeover. Is the future looking bright for the houses without heating? Architects challenged to play part in tackling climate change. Subscribe Now. Subscribe now. Revoiced Newsletter. Meads range between 6 and 20 percent ABV, depending on the fermentation; whereas wine and beer typically come in at a much lower ABV.
Mead pre-dates both beer and wine by not hundreds, but thousands of years. According to a recent article by BBC , in Northern China, pottery vessels containing chemical signatures of a mixture of honey, rice, and other fruits, along with organic compounds of fermentation, were dated around 6, and 7, BC.
In Europe, it is first attested in residual samples found in ceramics from 2, to 1, BC. As mead production became popularized across the globe, it was drunk by the likes of Vikings, Mayans, and Egyptians, and factored into early English medicine. More recently, mead is seen consumed by characters on Harry Potter and Game of Thrones , which might explain -at least in part — why it is seeing such a resurgence.
We know that honey is the primary ingredient in mead. With that in mind, go ahead and take a moment to consider that there are as many possible types of honey as there are flowering plants fertilized by bees in the world. Then take into account that with each changing year and season, the honey harvested will yield different flavors depending on rain, nutrients in the soil, plant and bee health, and more.
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