It is the oldest and most easily made fermented drink in the world. 2 The quality of mead is affected by many factors, including the raw materials used for production: honey, herbs, juices, spices, fruits, and water.
The earliest discovery of a drink fermented from honey was in northern China in 6500 BC. This means that mead is older than the wheel! In Europe, mead traces were found in ceramics from 2800-1800 BC including in Northern Scotland.
Mead is the first known alcoholic beverage consumed by mankind and is believed to predate wine by nearly three thousand years. Today, mead is often referred to as 'honey wine' because the process of making mead and wine are so similar. The key difference is the use of honey rather than grapes as a source of sugar.
It's Possibly the Oldest Alcoholic Beverage on Earth
suggest evidence of mead fermentation that predates both wine and beer. The first batch of mead was probably a chance discovery: Early foragers likely drank the contents of a rainwater-flooded beehive that had fermented naturally with the help of airborne yeast.
Why did mead fall out of popularity? Mead's decline can be attributed to the rise of other alcoholic beverages, increased availability of sugar, and decreased honey production, facilitating the production of rum and brandy and changes in taxation laws.
It quenched the Viking thirst! Viking food was thought to be incredibly salty, as salt was used as a preservative and to ward off bacteria. Mead is a sweet fermented drink made from honey that pairs well with salty foods.
Because it doesn't really fit neatly into any current category of American alcohol, it's tough for many pubs and liqueur stores to obtain permission to sell it. That is, if they've ever even heard of it. One of the best things about mead's revival is that it comes straight from us.
Chemical analyses recently confirmed that the earliest alcoholic beverage in the world was a mixed fermented drink of rice, honey, and hawthorn fruit and/or grape. The residues of the beverage, dated ca. 7000–6600 BCE, were recovered from early pottery from Jiahu, a Neolithic village in the Yellow River Valley.
Basically, the jury's still out, but at worst, mead isn't less healthy than beer and at best, it could have some positive healthy powers. Plus, Schramm notes that aside from braggot, mead tends to be gluten-free, and many meads, like those Schramm makes at his meadery Schramm's Mead, are also sans sulfites.
For example, unopened classic mead can last for 5 years, while unopened lighter meads usually last 1-2 years. Once opened, however, mead's shelf-life decreases, especially for lighter meads. It is usually recommended to consume lighter mead within 24 hours of opening.
The Vikings drank strong beer at festive occasions, together with the popular drink of mead. Mead was a sweet, fermented drink made from honey, water and spices. Wine made from grapes was also known of, but had to be imported, from France, for example.
Mead Mead Mead was an important alcoholic beverage in the Viking society. It was once the national tipple of Nordic countries, and also a symbol of social identity and status at that time. The pirates, as well as regular navy sailors drank what was available.
Later, mead was increasingly displaced by other alcoholic beverages for which the fermentable sugars required were less expensive and more readily available, which combined with taxation and regulations governing the ingredients of alcoholic beverages led to commercial mead becoming a relatively obscure beverage until ...
Mead is best known as the ancient drink of Ireland, where it was relished by the High Kings of Tara, and ever after down through medieval times, to today. Mead is considered a creative alternative to more traditional wines and compliments all meals.
If you want to really fully ferment a high-alcohol mead and bottle it, those usually benefit from time in the bottle. If you're using less honey to make more of a beer-like mead, those can be fully fermented and drinkable in under a month. Other types can take a few months. It just depends on the amount of honey.
Often referred to as the 'nectar of the gods,' mead has a rich history and potential health benefits. It contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties derived from honey, promotes cardiovascular health, and reduces stress. However, moderation is important due to potential health risks.
Generally, mead is known for its probiotic content. Probiotics are good bacteria that can have a positive effect on your immune system and digestive health. Research indicates that these bacteria can help prevent and treat chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, allergies and gastrointestinal illnesses.
Mead is a type of vintage wine with an alcohol content between 8 and 20 percent. Along with being a commonly selected beverage in England, Germany, Ethiopia, and South Africa, it is well-liked throughout Eastern Europe.
From Ancient Roman times to its vibrant resurgence in modern America, cider has a fascinating history that's weaved into cultures all over the world. As the oldest drink in the US, its production methods and cultural significance have evolved since the first American settlements.
The fact that the Vikings produced two different types of mead (with pure honey versions reserved only for royalty) underscores why mead declined in popularity during the 1600s: it was too expensive to make. Moreover, it was impossible to meet growing demands for honey.
For 600 years or so, mead was cast aside in favour of beer, wine, and all other alcoholic beverages besides. But mead is very much back on the bar. In the last few years it has gone mainstream and sales are up. Today, English Heritage says it sells a bottle every ten minutes.
