flipFestival Mead (Mid)
Festival Mead (Mid)
Why this dish? Honey and spring water — two typical objects of Dana — come together in mead, the sacred drink of Celtic banquets offered to the gods and drunk at great festivals. At Samhain and Imbolc, the mead cup circulated in honor of the Tuatha Dé Danann, of whom Dana is the mother.
A golden drink born from the slow fermentation of honey in spring water. Sweet then lively, it is the liquid soul of the feast.
Honey is the sun that bees have hidden in the hive, and water is my blood that springs from the hills. Marry them in the jar, let them breathe while the moon fills and empties, and you will obtain a drink that loosens tongues and seals oaths. First pour a cup on the earth for me — always — then drink with your kin, and let the feast last.
- •Wild honey — one third of the volume (fermentable sugar)
- •Spring water — two thirds of the volume (base)
- •Apples or wild berries — a handful (natural yeasts, flavor)
Festival Mead (Mid)
A golden drink born from the slow fermentation of honey in spring water. Sweet then lively, it is the liquid soul of the feast.
Why this dish? Honey and spring water — two typical objects of Dana — come together in mead, the sacred drink of Celtic banquets offered to the gods and drunk at great festivals. At Samhain and Imbolc, the mead cup circulated in honor of the Tuatha Dé Danann, of whom Dana is the mother.
Honey is the sun that bees have hidden in the hive, and water is my blood that springs from the hills. Marry them in the jar, let them breathe while the moon fills and empties, and you will obtain a drink that loosens tongues and seals oaths. First pour a cup on the earth for me — always — then drink with your kin, and let the feast last.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wild honey — one third of the volume (fermentable sugar)
- Spring water — two thirds of the volume (base)
- Apples or wild berries — a handful (natural yeasts, flavor)
Ingredients
- Honey — 1 kg (fermentable sugar)
- Spring water — 3 liters (base)
- Mead yeast (or a pinch of baker's yeast) — 1 packet (controlled fermentation)
- Apple and untreated lemon zest — 1 apple + 1 zest (flavor and acidity)
Method
- Warm (do not boil) the spring water and dissolve the honey completely to make the must.
- Let cool to room temperature, pour into a clean demijohn.
- Add the cut apple, zest and yeast; fit an airlock (or a pierced balloon).
- Ferment away from light for 4 to 6 weeks, until bubbling stops.
- Siphon into bottles, leaving the sediment behind.
- Let mature a few more weeks, serve chilled in a cup.
How it was made : Mead (mid in Old Irish) was the prestige drink par excellence of Celtic elites, predating the more widespread malt beer. The royal banquet hall at Tara was called Tech Midchúarta, "the house of the mead circuit." Fermentation relied on wild yeasts from fruits and the air.
The contemporary twist : Served in a "sparkling" version (bottled slightly before fermentation ends), it becomes a golden bubbly drink ideal for toasting.
Dana · Charactorium
