Today marks National Mead Day, and to help you celebrate, here are some fun facts about Mead!
- There are those who claim that Mead might have predated beer and wine, and it was on a global scale. It was said to have been drank on Mt. Olympus by Greek Gods, evidence shows production dating to 7000 BC in China, and it was spoken of as the drink of African bushmen and Vikings. Mead really got around!
- Mead was considered an aphrodisiac. Ever heard the term “honeymoon?” – that can be traced to mead as it was traditional to drink mead after a marriage for a full moon cycle in the medieval times.
- Mead is produced from three basic ingredients: honey, water, and yeasts. The variations in mead flavors come from the sources of these three ingredients.
- Mead is in a category of its own. Just like beer and wine, mead is unique to itself and categorized separately. While it is commonly referred to as “honey wine” it is not wine, as by definition, wine is made from fermenting fruit.
- Mead with herbs and spices was medicinally used in early England. These medicinal meads were called metheglin, Welsh for medicine.
- From epic poems to Chaucer to Tolkien, Mead has had a place in classic literature of all kinds as the premier drink of choice.
Happy National Mead Day!