flipHot Spiced Mead with Herbs and Honey from Frankish Forests
Hot Spiced Mead with Herbs and Honey from Frankish Forests
Why this dish? Mead is the quintessential Germanic drink of the Franks, the drink of the cup passed around in the king's hall. At Clovis's table, it stood alongside Gallo-Roman wine: two worlds, two drinks, one kingship. Oaths, pacts, alliances — all were sealed with cup in hand.
An infusion of mead (honey wine) served warm, perfumed with herbs and spices, golden and fragrant. A drink of oaths and celebration, symbol of the Germanic roots of a king who was also an ally of the Roman Church.
Take the cup, and drink after me — that is how friendship is sealed among the Franks. This brew is the honey of our forests turned into gentle fire, kept all winter in barrels. I like it warmed, perfumed with herbs, when the cold bites the hall. Roman wine flows in my other hand, for I am king of two worlds; but mead flows in the blood of the Franks since before my birth. Drink, and may your word last as long as its warmth.
- •Mead (fermented honey wine) — one pitcher (base)
- •Honey — one spoonful (extra sweetness)
- •Aromatic herbs (mugwort, sage, rosemary) — a few sprigs (flavor)
- •Cinnamon or ginger (Roman trade) — a pinch (prestige spice)
Hot Spiced Mead with Herbs and Honey from Frankish Forests
An infusion of mead (honey wine) served warm, perfumed with herbs and spices, golden and fragrant. A drink of oaths and celebration, symbol of the Germanic roots of a king who was also an ally of the Roman Church.
Why this dish? Mead is the quintessential Germanic drink of the Franks, the drink of the cup passed around in the king's hall. At Clovis's table, it stood alongside Gallo-Roman wine: two worlds, two drinks, one kingship. Oaths, pacts, alliances — all were sealed with cup in hand.
Take the cup, and drink after me — that is how friendship is sealed among the Franks. This brew is the honey of our forests turned into gentle fire, kept all winter in barrels. I like it warmed, perfumed with herbs, when the cold bites the hall. Roman wine flows in my other hand, for I am king of two worlds; but mead flows in the blood of the Franks since before my birth. Drink, and may your word last as long as its warmth.
Ingredients (period version)
- Mead (fermented honey wine) — one pitcher (base)
- Honey — one spoonful (extra sweetness)
- Aromatic herbs (mugwort, sage, rosemary) — a few sprigs (flavor)
- Cinnamon or ginger (Roman trade) — a pinch (prestige spice)
Ingredients
- Mead — 750 ml (1 bottle) (base)
- Honey — 1 tbsp (sweetness)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (spice)
- Fresh ginger slices — 2-3 (warmth)
- Sage or rosemary sprigs — 2 (herbaceous flavor)
- Apple zest — a few strips (fruitiness (optional))
Method
- Pour the mead into a saucepan with honey, cinnamon, ginger, and herbs.
- Heat very gently without ever boiling (boiling drives off alcohol and breaks aromas).
- Let infuse over the lowest heat for 10 minutes, covered.
- Strain and serve warm in goblets, garnished with a herb leaf.
- For a non-alcoholic version: replace mead with apple juice mixed with honey and a dash of cider vinegar.
How it was made : Mead, produced by fermenting honey diluted in water, is one of the oldest fermented drinks in Europe and the emblematic beverage of the Germanic peoples, including the Franks. In banquet culture, the shared cup sealed political and warrior bonds. At Clovis's court, mead coexisted with wine, a marker of the dual Frankish and Gallo-Roman heritage.
The contemporary twist : Serve as a “Frankish mulled wine” in stoneware mugs, with a dried apple slice on the rim — the Nordic ancestor of Christmas market mulled wine.
Sources : Patrick E. McGovern, Uncorking the Past (archaeology of fermented beverages) · Régine Le Jan, La société du haut Moyen Âge
Clovis · Charactorium
