Frankish Mead
A fermented drink made from honey and water, sweet and golden, served in cups at feasts. The ancestral beverage of the Franks, brother to the wine of the royal table.
A fermented drink made from honey and water, sweet and golden, served in cups at feasts. The ancestral beverage of the Franks, brother to the wine of the royal table.
Raise the cup with me, companion! When we sealed our oaths of arms, it was not only wine — there was also mead, that golden honey wine with which our fathers in the northern forests made merry. We let honey and water work together for weeks, until the drink gains strength and sings in the throat. Drink to the health of the Emperor and sweet France, but keep your head clear: a paladin is not felled by a cup.
- •Honey — a good portion (fermentable sugar)
- •Spring water — three times the volume of honey (base)
- •Wild yeasts — naturally present (fermentation)
Frankish Mead
A fermented drink made from honey and water, sweet and golden, served in cups at feasts. The ancestral beverage of the Franks, brother to the wine of the royal table.
Why this dish? At court feasts and oaths of arms, the cup is raised. Mead, the honey wine of the Northern peoples and the Franks, accompanies the great deeds and warrior brotherhoods celebrated in the *Song of Roland*.
Raise the cup with me, companion! When we sealed our oaths of arms, it was not only wine — there was also mead, that golden honey wine with which our fathers in the northern forests made merry. We let honey and water work together for weeks, until the drink gains strength and sings in the throat. Drink to the health of the Emperor and sweet France, but keep your head clear: a paladin is not felled by a cup.
Ingredients (period version)
- Honey — a good portion (fermentable sugar)
- Spring water — three times the volume of honey (base)
- Wild yeasts — naturally present (fermentation)
Ingredients
- Honey — 300 g (fermentable sugar)
- Spring water — 1 litre (base)
- Wine yeast (or baker's yeast) — 1 pinch (fermentation)
- Lemon slice or aromatic herbs — optional (flavoring (variation))
Method
- Warm the water slightly and dissolve the honey completely; let cool.
- Pour into a clean container (demijohn) and add the yeast.
- Cover with a cloth or airlock and let ferment at room temperature for 2–4 weeks, until bubbling stops.
- Siphon off the clear liquid, leaving the sediment behind.
- Bottle and let rest in a cool place before serving.
- Note: for a non-alcoholic and quick drink, simply mix honey with sparkling water and a little lemon — a "sweet mead" evocation.
How it was made : Mead, perhaps the oldest fermented beverage, accompanied Germanic and Frankish peoples before viticulture spread. It was made by letting diluted honey ferment with wild yeasts. At banquets, it shared cups and drinking horns with wine and *cervoise* (ancestor of beer).
The contemporary twist : Served chilled in a thick glass, a honey rim and sprig of thyme: a golden "mead" as found today on medieval-inspired tables.
Sources : Massimo Montanari, *The Culture of Food* (original Italian: *La fame e l'abbondanza*)
Roland · Charactorium
