[Sca-cooks] Alexey's answer to Brandu (birch sap)

[Jeff Gedney]

Philip, please than Alexey for his answer.

Also let him know that I did not imply that the drink was a honey mead made
with birch sap. It seems to have been a faily standard Elizabethan
convention to call any beverage a "meade" as a default, if it has no other
name.

I see a lot of this language in sailors reports, and the term is applied to
the Birch sap drink in Moscow ( "Berozevites" ), as well as ones made form
berries.

Here is the report from Richard Hakluyt's "The Principal Navigations,
Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation" (th book was
actually published in 1616, but consists of books, letters, and manuscripts,
etc, from within period.
Hakluyt published within and after period, and this book is a collection of
a lot of previously published and unpublished documents.
The particular section which is extracted from the records of the Moscovy
Comapny in London is called :
"The voyage, wherein Osep Napea the Moscovite Ambassadour returned home into
his countrey, with his entertainement at his arrivall, at Colmogro: and a
large description of the maners of the Countrey. : The maners, usages, and
ceremonies of the Russes." ( c1558 )
here begins the text in question:

"The names of certaine sortes of drinkes used in Russia, and commonly drunke
in the Emperours Court.
THE first and principall meade is made of the juice or liccour taken from a
berrie called in Russia, Malieno, which is of a marvellous sweete taste, and
of a carmosant colour, which berry I have seene in Paris.

The second meade is called Visnova, because it is made of a berry so called,
and is like a black gooseberrie: but it is like in colour and taste to the
red wine of France.

The third meade is called Amarodina or Smorodina, short, of a small berry
much like to the small rezin, and groweth in great plentie in Russia.

The fourth meade is called Cherevnikyna, which is made of the wilde blacke
cherry.

The fift meade is made of hony and water, with other mixtures.

There is also a delicate drinke drawn from the root of the birch tree,
called in the Russe tongue Berozevites, which drinke the noble men and
others use in Aprill, May, and June, which are the three moneths of the
spring time: for after those moneths, the sappe of the tree dryeth, and then
they cannot have it. "

Any information Alexey may have on this is appreciated, but not necessary. I
understand that he is busy and has financial obligations. I am already
indebted to him for his responses thus far.

I give it to you, Philip, dear, because I thought he might like the
references himself.  There is a LOT more on the manners and customs of the
Muscovites. If Alexey would like more of that, I'd be happy to extract it
and forward it to you.

Brandu