[Sca-cooks] Morat,, Cyser or Fruity Mead source recipe help

[Terry Decker]

The original may not be a mead, but rather a fruit infused honey drink.  For 
example, rose mead is often referred to as rhodomeli, but the original 
recipe is for a rose and honey condiment (or possibly drink) that may or may 
not be fermented.

"Recipe for rose honey: fine roses, wild ones if possible. Cut away the 
white part at the end of the rose petals, squeeze them in a press and take 
two pints of the juice and one pint of honey. Skim off the froth on the 
honey, add the honey to the rose juice and put in a storage jar; stir 
vigourously and store away in a place that is not damp."

Bassus, Geoponica

I also have recipes for quince infused wine and an apple honey water by 
Bassus.  I do not have a copy of Geoponica and can't tell you if the recipe 
you seek is there.  I do have what is stated to be a mead recipe from 
Columella, but I don't have the original Latin text to evaluate the quality 
of the translation.

"Take rainwater kept for several years, and mix a sextarius of this water 
with a pound of honey. For a weaker mead, mix a sextarius of water with nine 
ounces of honey. The whole is exposed to the sun for 40 days, and then left 
on a shelf near the fire. If you have no rain water, then boil spring 
water."

Columella, De Re Rustica

If you're looking for mulsum, hydromel, oxymel amd melomel recipes, you need 
to be digging in the agronomy texts rather than Apicius.

Bear

>
> So, I was trying to find a source for a Morat Mead recipe since it is 
> Roman/Greek (a Mulberry Mead). It is mentioned in Gayre/Papazian's Mead 
> book, but the original recipe isn't there and I really want to find the 
> original recoipe if possible and not just a reference to "a really popular 
> Roman drink" if you know what I mean.  I've looked through Apicius, didn't 
> see it, but I am blind and miss things like this all the time.  Does 
> anyone happen to know any other sources for honey meads that are mixed 
> with berries?  It doesn't HAVE to be Mulberries.  Honestly any brewing 
> type of drink that uses Blackberries would be lovely.
>
> Thank you!
>
> --Mercy