Medd — mead of Brittonic banquets
A golden honey wine, sweet and heady, left to ferment for long weeks. Scented with herbs, it bridges the table and the sacred in the Celtic world.
A golden honey wine, sweet and heady, left to ferment for long weeks. Scented with herbs, it bridges the table and the sacred in the Celtic world.
Raise the horn, and let your heart brighten! What you drink here is the honey of bees turned to gentle fire by the sole work of time. I took the comb, the spring water, and a sprig of fragrant herb, then let the invisible do its work — for even a mage does not command what bubbles in silence in the jar. Drink slowly, listen to the harps: it is in this warmth that kings at last hear their omens.
- •Wild honey — a good pot (fermentable sugar)
- •Spring water — three times the volume of honey (dilution)
- •Aromatic herbs (meadowsweet, wild ginger, rosemary) — a tuft (flavor)
- •Wild yeasts (from honey and air) — natural (fermentation)
Medd — mead of Brittonic banquets
A golden honey wine, sweet and heady, left to ferment for long weeks. Scented with herbs, it bridges the table and the sacred in the Celtic world.
Why this dish? Merlin haunts the courts and banquets of King Arthur, where mead flows. This fermented honey drink, sung by Brittonic poets, is the beverage of heroes and seers — the one raised in the great hall of Camelot when harps accompany prophecies.
Raise the horn, and let your heart brighten! What you drink here is the honey of bees turned to gentle fire by the sole work of time. I took the comb, the spring water, and a sprig of fragrant herb, then let the invisible do its work — for even a mage does not command what bubbles in silence in the jar. Drink slowly, listen to the harps: it is in this warmth that kings at last hear their omens.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wild honey — a good pot (fermentable sugar)
- Spring water — three times the volume of honey (dilution)
- Aromatic herbs (meadowsweet, wild ginger, rosemary) — a tuft (flavor)
- Wild yeasts (from honey and air) — natural (fermentation)
Ingredients
- Honey (acacia, blossom, or chestnut) — 1 kg (fermentable base)
- Spring water — 3 L (dilution)
- Mead or white wine yeast — 1 packet (controlled fermentation)
- Meadowsweet or rosemary — 1 small sprig (aroma (optional))
Method
- Warm the water (without boiling) and dissolve the honey in it to obtain a homogeneous must; let cool to room temperature.
- Pour into a clean container, add the herbs and yeast, then seal with an airlock.
- Let ferment away from light for 4 to 6 weeks, until bubbling ceases.
- Rack carefully to separate the sediment, bottle, and age at least 1 month before serving chilled.
How it was made : Mead (medd in Welsh, which gave the name of the banquet 'medd-dod') is perhaps the oldest fermented drink in Northern Europe. Brittonic heroic poetry, such as the Gododdin, evokes warriors drinking honey-wine in the king's hall before battle. It was made by simple fermentation of diluted honey, sometimes spiced with herbs.
The contemporary twist : Serve well chilled in small stemmed glasses, with a shard of oatcake and cheese — a 'Celtic pairing' for an Arthurian-inspired aperitif.
Sources : The Gododdin (Brittonic heroic poetry, mentions of medd) · Studies on Celtic and Northern European mead
Merlin · Charactorium
