[Sca-cooks] Introduction and Question

[AnnaMarie]

Greetings:

I am an Artemisian who loves to cook and do needlework.  In an effort to be
more period in my cooking I have been studing many on-line sources, have the
Oxford guide to food by the bed for night-time reading and am drooling over
the Cambridge set but can't afford it yet <sigh>

Now for the question.

What hot drinks if any did people in the middle ages and rennaissance drink?
I'm aware that tea, specifically camellia sinensis, didn't make it to
Britain until approximately 1610 but could it have been imbibed perhaps in
Italy before that?  Also is there a good period recipe for Chai or is that
later still?

Thanks in advance for any help.  I've much enjoyed the recent discussion on
Scandinavian cooking, glad I've got a great cookbook from my household head
for this as a start.  I've also very much appreciated seeing the recent
plant stand/wok cookstand.  A friend of mine has the same plant stand, I'm
going to go find a large wok and we're going to try it very soon!!!

Kristianne
Wolf Song Day Spa & Herb Shop