A mead recipe from the Roman empireby Eduardo Miranda | on 5 Nov, 2012

Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (AD 4 ca. AD 70) , was one of the most important writer on

agriculture of the Roman empire. Little is known of his life but he was probably born in Gades (modern

Cadiz, Spain).

From his writing reached us De re rustica (field work) and Liber de arboribus (Book of trees). The

first of these works, written in AD 42, is divided into twelve volumes, and inspired by earlier works of

other Latin, Greek and Carthaginian authors, it all works on the filed in the broadest sense of the word:

from the practice of agriculture, livestock and beekeeping until the cure of animals and the preparation

of different products and preserves. In the book De Arboribus discusses plant cultivation, as the vine,

until the trees like olive or fruit trees, and even flowers like violet or roses, Columellas work is

considered the most extensive repertoire and documented on Roman agriculture.

De re rustica first page and page 157 (vol. XII)

Hand scribe in Npoles, in 1488 by Giovanni Rinaldo Mennio with Illuminations from Francesco di

Antonio del Chierico

In De re rustica, volume XII, page 157, we can find a reference to a mead recipe entitled De aqua

mulsa facienda:

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[Latim transcription]

DE AQUA MULSA FACIENDA. Itaque seposita elle et ad condituras destinata, per se

facienda erit optimo melle aqua mulsa. Haec autem non uno modo conponitur; nam

quidam multos ante annos caelestem aquam vasis includunt et sub dio in sole habent,

deinde, cum saepius eam in alia vasa transfuderunt et eliquaverunt; nam quotiensque

etiam per longum tempus diffunditur, aliquod crassamentum in imo simile faeci reperitur

"

History and laboratory techniques in mead (honey wine) production

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In 1745, a anonymous translation of De re rustica and Liber de arboribus into English was

published by A. Millar (London, UK) with the title L. Junius Moderatus Columella of Husbandry in

Twelve Books and his Book concerning Trees.

De re rustica published by A. Millar, in 1745, first page and page 517 (Chapter XII)

In this English translation of Columellas work we can find the mead recipe on chapter XII, page 517,

entitled Of the Way to make mead:

, veteris aquae sextarium cum libra mellis miscent. Nonnulli tamen, qui austeriorem

volunt efficere gustum, sextarium aquae cum dodrante pondo mellis diluunt et ea portione

repletam lagonam gypsatamque patiuntur per Caniculae ortum in sole quadraginta diebus

esse; tum demum in tabulatum, quod fumum accipit, reponunt.

ALITER. Nonnulli, quibus non fuit curae caelestem inveterare aquam, recentem sumunt

eamque usque in quartam partem decoquunt; deinde, cum refrixerit, sive dulciorem

mulseam facere volunt, duobus aquae sextariis sextarium mellis permiscent, sive

austeriorem, sextario aquae dodrantem mellis adiciunt; et his portionibus factam in

lagonam diffundunt eamque, sicut supra dixi, quadraginta diebus insolatam postea in

tabulatum, quod suffumigatur, reponunt.

[English transcription]

Therefore having set apart this bees-wax-water, and destinated it for

preserving of fruits, mead must be made by itself of the very best honey ; but it

is not made after one manner : for some, many years before, put up rain-

water in vessels, and set it in the Sun in the open air ; then, having emptied it

from one vessel to another, and made it very clear, (for, as often as it is poured

from one vessel to another, even for a long time, there is found, in the bottom

of the vessel, some thick settling like dregs) they mix a sextarius of old water

with a pound of honey.

Nevertheless some, when they have a mind to make the mead of a rougher

taste, mingle a sextarius of water with three quarters of a pound of honey ;

and after they have, according to this proportion, filled a stone bottle, and

plaistered it, they suffer it to be forty days in the Sun, during the rising of the

Dog-star ; then they put it up in a lost, which receives smoak. Some, who have

not been at the pains to preserve rain-water till it becomes old, take that which

is fresh, and boil it in to a fourth part : then, after it is grown cold, if either

they have a mind to make mead sweeter than ordinary, they mix a sextarius of

honey with two sextarii of water ; or, if they would have it rougher, they put

three quarters of a pound of honey to a sextarius of water ; and, having made

it according to these proportions, they pour it into a stone bottle ; and, after

"

Tags: Columella

Note about units:

Sextarius A sextarius is an 1/48th of an amphora quadrantal. The amphora quadrantal was a unit for

measuring liquids or bulk goods in the Roman Empire. The volume of a standard amphora is equal to

one cubic foot (one foot is about 296 mm) there is about 25.93 liters. The theoretical value for the

sextarius is about 540.3 ml.

Libra / Roman pound The libra is an ancient Roman unit of mass that was equivalent to

approximately 328.9 grams. The libra is the origin of the abbreviation for pound, lb. The commonly

used abbreviation lbs to indicate the plural unit of measurement does not reflect Latin usage, in which

lb is both the singular and plural abbreviation.

The Latin text makes reference to libra so in the english text must be understood as a reference to the

Roman pound.

Disclaimer: The formulas (recipes) for mead in this article was commonly consumed in historic times.

The recipes and instructions for these meads are for historical and educational purposes only. The

author do not recommend the making or use of these meads by the reader. The author shall be held

blameless for any injury to the reader that may occur from the ingestion of any of these recipes.

they have kept it forty days in the Sun, as I faid above, they put it up in a lost,

which receives smoak from below.

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