SC - Spiced Apple Juice

[Yeldham, Caroline S]

	Reply from Caroline

> Hi all from Anne-Marie
> We are asked:
> > This has come off a TV program fact sheet in Australia Does anybody know
> a
> > possible source for this recipe and _how_ accurate the first sentence is
> > (as regards to the _apple juice_)?
> > 
> 
> I have always had this theory (unproven, but there you go, its just a
> theory) that in the middle ages, folks would commonly drink whatever local
> produce could be fermented. The English drank their ale and beer. The
> French and Italians drank wine.
> 
	Yes, but ... (:-)).  At least from the marriage of Henry II to
Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 12th century until the 16th century, the English
crown ruled large areas  of wine-producing country in France, and thousands
of gallons of wine were imported into England every year thoughout that
period (and on, of course).  In the late medieval period, lots of different
kinds of wines were imported, Rhenish - white wine from the Rhineland,
Candy; from Crete; sack from Spain (that's Elizabethan really).  The English
drank lots of ale (following Andrew Boorde's terminology, beer is late 16th
century and regarded as a Dutchman's drink) - hops are an adulteration, but
come in because the brewers llke the preserving effects), but they also,
particularly the rich ones, drank a lot of wine.

>  If, perhaps you were from an apple rich
> region, it makes sense taht you would drink cider, and if you were from an
> area with lots of pears, you would drink perry.
> 
	I thought there was plenty of evidence for cider and perry in the
relevant areas, which are Normandy, Brittany and South-Western England
(don't think there's a lot outside these areas - any thoughts anyone?)


> We know that hypocras (the spiced wine, which, by the way, we have no
> documentation that it was drunk hot. Go figure!) was a common thing, we
> have lots of recipes for it. We even have recipes for spiced beer/ale
> beverages (according to Ann Hagen, anyway).
> 
	From the late medieval recipes my husband has brewed, the spicing is
included as part of the brewing process, I suppose it could be added later,
but that's what I've got experience of.  Don't forget flavouring with herbs,
too - before hops became ubiquitous lots of different herbs were used
(alecost, alehoof) which produce lovely flavourings in ale.  He has also
brewed fruit ales, the raspberry was particularly successful, but we admit
that was by analogy with Belgium brewing.

> It would be a logical leap of
> faith then to assume that folks would spice their fermented apple juice
> and
> pear juice too. 
> 
	but not necessarily as a 'mulling' process - it could be part of the
fermentation.

> I recognise that this is indeed a leap of faith...I have no documentation
> for the practice, but find it feasible. More feasible, in fact, than the
> ubiquitous SCA practice of serving HOT spiced beverages.
> 
	The hot spiced beverages are the caudels etc, usually thickened with
eggs or milk.

	Caroline
	part of the campaign for real mild
============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================