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Mead Recipes, but first, for those who don't know....
What Is Mead?
Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with yeast. Mead is not a beer, wine, or spirit in the normal sense; it is its own class of alcohol, and many people believe it is the oldest of the alcoholic beverages. Mead has held a pivotal place in many cultures throughout its nearly 8,000 year history, and it is still enjoyed throughout the world.
The first meads were most likely made simply by taking honey and water and letting them ferment with the naturally occurring yeasts found in the honey. Evidence of early meads has been found in Egypt and on the island of Crete, and it was drunk in Greece throughout the Golden Age. In many early cultures, bee goddesses held central roles in the pantheon, and many have postulated that this was because of the intoxicating effects of mead harvested from local bee hives.
There are three main classes of mead, with many variations on each. Traditional meads are made using only honey, water, and yeast. Metheglin mead is made in the same way as traditional mead, but has various spices – such as cinnamon or vanilla – added. Melomel mead is similar, but has fruit added as well. Various types of melomel include mead with mulberries, known as morat; mead with pears, known as perry; mead with apple juice, known as cyser; and mead with grapes, known as pyment.
Mead retained its place of honor as a highly valued drink in many cultures until the introduction of wine. As wine became a mark of wealth and prestige, many lords began turning from the consumption of mead to wine. The peasantry continued to enjoy mead, as it could be easily made from ingredients they could get their hands on and didn’t require special storage. Over time, however, beer replaced mead in the lives of the commoners, and mead became a drink set aside for special occasions.
Many people trace the English word honeymoon to a practice of fathers to supply their daughters with enough mead to last a month as a dowry. Drinking this mead throughout the first month of marriage was meant to ensure that the firstborn child would be a male. Other holidays, such as the Yule festivals, also included drinking mead as part of the festivities.
Mead is still a regular part of the Ethiopian tradition, where it is known as tej. Ethiopian mead has the bark of a plant called gesho added to it, giving it a somewhat hoppy taste and making it similar to the beer-like mead known as braggot. Ethiopian mead varies in alcohol content and sweetness, with some being quite potent, and others, such as the variety known as berz, having a low alcohol content.
Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with yeast. Mead is not a beer, wine, or spirit in the normal sense; it is its own class of alcohol, and many people believe it is the oldest of the alcoholic beverages. Mead has held a pivotal place in many cultures throughout its nearly 8,000 year history, and it is still enjoyed throughout the world.
The first meads were most likely made simply by taking honey and water and letting them ferment with the naturally occurring yeasts found in the honey. Evidence of early meads has been found in Egypt and on the island of Crete, and it was drunk in Greece throughout the Golden Age. In many early cultures, bee goddesses held central roles in the pantheon, and many have postulated that this was because of the intoxicating effects of mead harvested from local bee hives.
There are three main classes of mead, with many variations on each. Traditional meads are made using only honey, water, and yeast. Metheglin mead is made in the same way as traditional mead, but has various spices – such as cinnamon or vanilla – added. Melomel mead is similar, but has fruit added as well. Various types of melomel include mead with mulberries, known as morat; mead with pears, known as perry; mead with apple juice, known as cyser; and mead with grapes, known as pyment.
Mead retained its place of honor as a highly valued drink in many cultures until the introduction of wine. As wine became a mark of wealth and prestige, many lords began turning from the consumption of mead to wine. The peasantry continued to enjoy mead, as it could be easily made from ingredients they could get their hands on and didn’t require special storage. Over time, however, beer replaced mead in the lives of the commoners, and mead became a drink set aside for special occasions.
Many people trace the English word honeymoon to a practice of fathers to supply their daughters with enough mead to last a month as a dowry. Drinking this mead throughout the first month of marriage was meant to ensure that the firstborn child would be a male. Other holidays, such as the Yule festivals, also included drinking mead as part of the festivities.
Mead is still a regular part of the Ethiopian tradition, where it is known as tej. Ethiopian mead has the bark of a plant called gesho added to it, giving it a somewhat hoppy taste and making it similar to the beer-like mead known as braggot. Ethiopian mead varies in alcohol content and sweetness, with some being quite potent, and others, such as the variety known as berz, having a low alcohol content.
-WiseGEEK
-from: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mead.htm
Mead Recipes from kitchenBOS.com
Meade Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 gallon water
1 1/2 cups raw honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Heat all Ingredients together over medium heat in a large pot. As the honey melts, an oily crust forms at the top. DO NOT REMOVE. When it is well blended, remove from the heat, stirring occasionally as it cools. This is the non-alcoholic version.
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Soft Mead Recipe
Ingredients:
1 quart water, preferably spring water
1 cup honey
1 sliced lemon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Boil together all Ingredients in a non-metallic pot. While boiling, scrape off the rising 'scum' with a wooden spoon. When no more rises add the following:
pinch salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
Strain and cool. Drink in place of alcoholic mead or wine during the simple feast.
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