Why Is Mead Called The Drink Of The Gods?

Through history, mead was associated with health and good life. Ancient Greeks believed that mead was the drink of the gods, sent to Earth from the heavens. Odin, the Norse god of healing and battle, gained his strength by drinking mead from a goat while he was a baby.

In Norse mythology, for example, the Mead of Poetry was crafted from the blood of the wise being Kvasir and turned the drinker into a poet or scholar. The terms “mead” and “honey-wine” often are used synonymously. Some cultures, though, differentiate honey-wine from mead.

Mead’s alcohol content varies but is typically around 5–20%. Its flavor profile ranges from very sweet to very dry, and it’s available in both sparkling and still versions. Summary Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey.

Sure, Vikings drank a wide variety of other drinks such as ales and ciders. Viking chieftains even traded far and wide for fine wine and the precious glasses to serve it in, thus boasting of their wealth and connections. But mead held a very special place in Viking culture, lore, and history.

What is mead making interesting as a beverage?

What is mead making interesting as a beverage is its versatility ? There is a wide variety of flavors and types depending on added herbs, spices and fruits. Mead can have an alcohol content of 19% or as low as 3 or 4 percent. It can be carbonated like a beer or like a sparkling wine. Can be aged for years or drunk two weeks after the start of fermentation. Mead works well as an aperitif, dinner wine or after dinner cordial. We will mention several most common varieties.

The basic mead is made with only honey, water, and yeast. But the lack of spices doesn’t mean that all traditional meads taste the same. The taste varies due to different variations in the fermenting time, temperature, type of honey used etc.

Honey is the main ingredient of any mead. The type of honey usually used for mead is clover honey. Clover honey gets its name from bees using clover flower nectar. Any variety of fruit honey can be used (raspberry, peach, apple, orange…). The type of honey used dictates the flavor and coloring of the final product. Strongly flavored honey, like wildflower and orange blossom, work best for Metheglin mead. Clover honey gives a delicate flavor and light coloring, making it suitable for fruit meads. Very light honey, like alfalfa, are not suitable for mead as they give poor flavor and only light coloring. You should be careful with the dosage of honey. If you use too little honey, the mead will be dry, and if you use too much, it will be sweet. If you want your mead sweater, you can add more sugar like corn sugar, the cane sugar will work also but not as good. Making traditional mead (only honey and water) requires using strong flavored honey as that will be the only thing giving flavor. The recipe explained here uses raspberry honey.

But, what is mead really bringing us? Research done so far shows that old cultures were on to something. Unfortunately, mead does not give us superhuman powers. But, it indeed can help in keeping our body healthy. Mead’s main ingredient, honey, brings us all its benefits. But, to be able to get all the benefits it is important that raw honey is used and mead wasn’t heated. Honey might give you an energy boost, help to keep your immune system healthy, prevent cancer and health disease, and much more. Since many herbs and spices also can be added to the mead, there are many varieties of mead. Certain kinds of herbs or spices added to metheglin meads are thought to improve digestion and help with depression. Besides its many benefits, mead also has an amazing taste. It goes well with any activity, especially with celebrations and any picnic-like or music playing activities. Existing wide variety of mead means that everyone can find a mead to their liking.

Why is mead called the drink of the gods?

In Greek mythology, it was often referred to as “the drink of the gods” and allegedly given to warriors after a fight to enhance healing of their battle injuries. Today, many still believe that drinking mead benefits your health and that the drink has healing properties.

Alcohol Content. The alcohol content of mead ranges from about 5% to 20%. For comparison, regular grape wine has a typical alcohol content of about 12–14%. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to serious health risks including liver disease, systemic inflammation and impaired digestive and immune system function ( 4.

While there isn’t much information available on the precise nutritional content of mead, pure alcohol alone provides 7 calories per gram. One serving of any alcoholic beverage contains about 14 grams of alcohol, equaling at least 100 calories.

Mead is a fermented beverage traditionally made from honey, water and a yeast or bacterial culture. Sometimes called “the drink of the gods,” mead has been cultivated and consumed across the world for thousands of years. This article explores mead and its possible benefits and pitfalls. Share on Pinterest.

It’s one of the oldest alcoholic beverages ever made, as it was consumed as far back as 4,000 years. Interestingly, mead was common across ancient cultures around the world including those in Asia, Europe and Africa.

All you need to make basic mead is honey, water and a yeast or bacterial culture. However, ingredients such as fruits, herbs, spices, grains, roots and flowers are often included as well.

Mead is typically gluten-free, depending on what is added during the fermentation process. Thus, if you have a gluten allergy, double check the mead you plan to drink to ensure no gluten-containing ingredients were included in the brew.

Why is mead important to Greeks?

For this reason, mead continued to factor heavily in Greek ceremonies even after its eventual decline in drinking popularity.

Sweet, dry, still or sparkling—all describe varieties of mead. But amble up the mead family tree a bit further and you’ll meet some of the more eccentric relatives. You already know metheglin, but don’t forget melomel, a mead that contains juice or fruit like blackberries and raspberries. Then there’s cyser, an apple-based mead; acerglyn, made with maple syrup; braggot, a mead/beer blend brewed with hops or barley; rhodomel, a very old style laced with roses—and legions more.

And according to some tales, Queen Makeda of Sheba gave King Solomon a gift of T’ej, a bittersweet Ethiopian mead flavored with buckthorn. T’ej can be traced to the fourth century and is still a popular drink in the East African region.

Mead isn’t only the drink of sea-faring vikings and mummified royalty, it’s also a popular choice today. There are now almost 250 meaderies in America and even mead festivals around the country celebrating the ancient beverage.

Organic Authority. 8. Mead Is a Preferred Drink of Royalty. Queen Elizabeth II has been known to throw back a goblet of mead, and even maintains a favorite recipe made with rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and sweet briar.

It’s Possibly the Oldest Alcoholic Beverage on Earth. Chinese pottery vessels dating from 7000 B.C.E. 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 …

Mead Exists in Its Own Distinct Category. While often referred to as a honey wine, that’s not entirely accurate. Made with honey, water, and yeast, rather than fruit, mead resides in its own category of alcoholic beverage. Even the meads that are flavored with a variety of fruit are not considered wines. 2.