Non Alcoholic Beverages of the
Middle Ages
by
HL Ronan Meade
Most of us know about the common alcoholic beverages that were abundant
throughout the Middle Ages and recreated in the SCA on a common basis.
Alcoholic beverages such as Ale, Mead, Hypocras, Wine, Braggot, Cyser, Pyment,
Perry, Brandy, Whisky, Liqueurs, and Cordials. But what about those people that
dont or cant drink? Or what does someone serve at a feast? Or what about
alternative beverages at dry sites?
Well there is hope. While it is true that ale and mead were quite
prevalent beverages in the Middle Ages, there were other beverage choices. At
the end of the article, I have placed several recipes from the sources that I
site along the way.
The first choice, and not really the most popular was, of course, water[1].
But the water was of such low quality most of the time, that it was cut with
wine or ale in an attempt to make it safer (& better tasting) to drink.
The next most popular beverage, when available, was milk1.
It was widely available to all classes of people in all regions of the world.
Goats, cows, and mares all provided milk to those who wanted it.
Barley Tea[2] was another beverage that was brewed from
time to time. This is created easily enough by steeping barley in hot water,
adding honey and cutting it by half, and serving it that way.
Dancha[3] is essentially tea made by boiling tea
bricks. It was served either warm or cold in ceremonies. Later in period,
ground tea was used to make ice tea by beating the tea into the water.
Sage Water[4] was also a popular choice. Soaking the sage
in a pitcher of water over night. Once the sage is saturated it should be able
to flavor other pitchers of water in about an hour. "To make a cask of
sage-flavored liquid, take 2 lbs sage, clip off the stems and put leaves in the
cask...." This provides a very refreshing beverage to cleanse the palette
between courses at a feast.
Coriander water was created the same as Sage Water except
with Coriander seeds.
Granatus[5] was and still is a very popular beverage.
This is modernly and mundanely known as Grenadine. It is essentially a thick,
sweet, pomegranate syrup. In period, this is primarily an Arabic beverage, but
could be found in eastern Europe by the end of our period. The Pomegranates are
pressed and reduced to a syrup, and kept unrefrigerated for months before use.
To serve it, dilute with hot or cold water with one part sugar, or mix in a
variety of other beverages.
Sekanjabin[6] is the family of sweet vinegar beverages.
There are many recipes found for various types of vinegar beverages found in
period. Though sekanjabin itself is plain vinegar and sugar and water, the name
sekanjabin has been applied to the entire family for practical purposes.
Clarea of Water[7] was essentially spiced honey water. The
spices would depend on what was local and on hand, but they would be added to
water and honey and boiled. The mixture would then be cooled and served with
the meal.
Rose Soda (Water) and Lavendar Drink[8] were common among refined ladies of the
middle ages. This was usually petals of the flowers soaked in a mixture of very
sweet water. While thought to be a medicine, it found popularity at the dinner
table and was thought to sooth a well fed belly.
Cold Almond Milk[9] was used in England in the latter part of
the period. While the original recipe contained wine, references have been
found that show it was also made with vinegar or grenadine for a completely
non-alcoholic refreshment.
Chicory Water[10] is referred to within Cervantes' "Don
Quixote," written c. 1600, at the very end of the SCA period. This is made
by soaking chicory sticks in a pitcher of water or putting shavings into one's
water skin.
Next is lemon drink[11].
It was essentially lemonade. The sweetener was usually honey, but the rest is
just water and lemons. It was enjoyed in later period and was a refreshing
beverage generally enjoyed before a meal to get the stomach acids going.
And Finally, let's not forget all of the varieties of apple ciders[12]. Apple drinks and ciders were basically apple juice
with various amounts of pulp, sweetened with sugar and/or honey.
Rose Soda / Lavender Drink
Adapted from
_The 'Libre de Diversis Medicinis' in the Thornton Manuscript (MS. Lincoln
Cathedral, A.5.2)_. Edited by Margaret Sinclair Ogden. Published for the Early
English Text Society by Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press. Amen House,
E.C. 4. England. 1938. Text circa early 1400 CE.
1 part rose/lavender
petals
2 parts water
2 parts sugar/honey
Soak a number of petals in a
pitcher of water holding twice as much water as petals for one night. Press,
but not squeeze, the water from the petals and reuse them as needed. Mix into
the water enough honey or sugar as to taste, and serve cold.
Syrup of Pomegranate
Adapted from
_The 'Libre de Diversis Medicinis' in the Thornton Manuscript (MS.
Lincoln Cathedral, A.5.2)_. Edited by Margaret Sinclair Ogden.
Published for the Early English Text Society by Humphrey Milford, Oxford
University Press. Amen House, E.C. 4. England. 1938. Text circa early 1400 CE.
Syrup of Pomegranate - Take a ratl of sour pomegranates and another of
sweet pomegranates, and add their juice to two ratls of sugar, cook all this
until it takes the consistency of syrup, and keep until needed.
Essentially, take equal numbers of sour and sweet pomegranates and
squeeze the juice from them. Add this juice to two parts sugar (for each part
juice) and cook until thick. Some tips I found while researching this drink is
that you should not use the syrup for several months, so set it aside once
done. Also, avoid the skins while pressing the fruit for juice.
Spiced Pomegranate Drink
Adapted from Anonymous. _An Anonymous
Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century. A Complete Translation by
Charles Perry of the Arabic Edition of Ambrosio Huici Miranda with the
assistance of an English Translation by Elise Flemming, Stephen Bloch, Habib
ibn Al-Andalusi and Janet Hinson of the Spanish Translation by Ambrosio Huici
Miranda._ 1992 by Charles Perry. Reprinted in A Collection of Medieval and
Renaissance Cookery Books by Friedman, David (Sir Cariadoc of the Bow)
Published privately. Page A-74
And also from Maimonides, Moses (1135-1204
CE). _Maqalah Fi Bayan Ba'D Al-A'Rad Wa-A;-Jawab 'Anha Ma'Amar Ha-Hakra'Ah_.
edited and translated by Leibowitz, JO and Marcus, S. _Moses Maimonides on the
Causes and Symptoms (Maqalah Fi Bayan Ba'D Al-A'Rad Wa-A;-Jawab 'Anha Ma'Amar
Ha-Hakra'Ah [and] De Causis Accidentium)_ Published by University of California
Press, Berkeley, CA. 1974. ISBN 0-520-02224-6 LCCCN 71-187873 page 139
...then leave the bath and partake of a brew prepared with pomegranate
seeds, sugar, many spices, and a touch of hot spices like clove and mace, or a
syrup of rose or sorrel, with water of oxtongue,...
1 quart of Pomegranate juice
4 cups white sugar (or honey)
Possible additions include: clove, mace, borage, mint, citron leaves,
spikenard, lemon peel, and canel or cinnamon.
Warm the pomegranate juice over medium heat. Add the sugar, stirring to
dissolve completely. Keep the mixture at a simmer for about 2 hours, stirring
occasionally. When it is suitably thickened, allow to cool before bottling.
Dilute about one part syrup to five parts water. The resulting drink will be
more brownish than the original red of pomegranate. The Tacinum Sanitatis
recommends eating sour pomegranates with honey to neutralize the dangers to
health, so use the honey recipe if you want to replicate European diets.
Cold Almond Milk
Adapted from _An Ordinance Of Pottage: An
Edition of the Fifteenth Century Culinary Recipes in Yale University's MS
Beinecke 163_. Edited by Constance Hieatt.
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar or clarified honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup blanched finely ground almonds
1/8 cup wine (use vinegar, pomegranate juice or omit for completely
non-alcoholic beverage)
toasted bread
Place one cup of water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium
heat. Add sugar (or honey) and salt. Stir quickly so the sugar (or honey)
dissolves without burning. When dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool.
Add finely ground almonds to the sugar water and mix. Add wine and mix again.
Toast bread, then brush it with a little wine and allow the bread to dry. Serve
cool with toast.
The Recipe for Making a Syrup of Julep
From the 13th
c. Andalusian cookbook:
Take five ratls of aromatic rosewater, and two and a half of sugar,
cook all this until it takes the consistency of syrups. Drink two qiyas of
this with three of hot water. Its benefits: in phlegmatic fever; it fortifies
the stomach and the liver, profits at the onset of dropsy, purifies and
lightens the body, and in this it is most extraordinary, God willing.
Syrup of Fresh Roses, and the Recipe for Making It
From the 13th
c. Andalusian cookbook:
Take a ratl of fresh roses, after removing the dirt from them, and
cover them with boiled water for a day and a night, until the water cools and
the roses fall apart in the water. Clean it and take the clean part of it and
add to a ratl of sugar. Cook all this until it takes the form of a syrup. Drink
an qiya of this with two of hot water; its benefits are at the onset of
dropsy, and it fortifies the stomach and the liver and the other
internal organs, and lightens the constitution; in this it is
admirable.
A Recipe for Making It by Repetition
From the 13th
c. Andalusian cookbook:
Take the same, a ratl of roses or more, and place it in water to cover
it, boiling for a day and a night. Then take out the roses that are in the
water and throw them away, and go with the same quantity of fresh roses,
which are to be covered likewise with this water, after boiling it a
second time, and leave this also a day and a night. Throw away these roses
likewise, and put in others and treat them as before, and continue doing this
for ten days or more. Its benefit and the strength of its making are solely in
the manner of repeating. Then clarify the water of roses and add to it as much
sugar, and cook it until it takes the form of a syrup. It reaches the limit in
thinning and moistening the constitution, God willing.
Syrup of Dried Roses
Take a ratl of dried roses, and cover with three ratls of boiling
water, for a night, and leave it until they fall apart in the water. Press it
and clarify it, take the clear part and add it to two ratls of white sugar, and
cook all this until it is in the form of a syrup. Drink an qiya and a half of
this with three of water. Its benefits: it binds the constitution, and benefits
at the start of dropsy, fortifies the other internal organs, and provokes the
appetite, God willing.
Dissolve 4 cups sugar in 2 1/2 cups of water; when it comes to a boil add 1 cup wine vinegar. Simmer 1/2 hour. Add a handful of mint, remove from fire, let cool. Dilute the resulting syrup to taste with ice water (5 to 10 parts water to 1 part syrup). The syrup stores without refrigeration.
Take a ratl of strong vinegar and mix it with two ratls of sugar, and cook all this until it takes the form of a syrup. Drink an qiya of this with three of hot water when fasting: it is beneficial for fevers of jaundice, and calms jaundice and cuts the thirst, since sikanjabn syrup is beneficial in phlegmatic fevers: make it with six qiyas of sour vinegar for a ratl of honey and it is admirable.
"A VERY pleasant drink is made of Apples, thus; Boil sliced Apples in water, to make the water strong of Apples, as when you make to drink it for coolness and pleasure. Sweeten it with Sugar to your tast, such a quantity of sliced Apples, as would make so much water strong enough of Apples; and then bottle it up close for three or four months. There will come a thick mother at the top, which being taken off, all the rest will be very clear, and quick and pleasant to the taste, beyond any Cider. It will be the better to most taste, if you put a very little Rosemary into the liquor, when you boil it, and a little Limon-peel into each bottle, when you bottle it up." While Digby suggests bottling it up for months, it can be drunk right away as well for a nice refreshing, cold drink.
Also, the Manuscrito Anonimo (13th c. Andalusian) has a whole chapter
on drinks. It is well worth the read. It is essentially an Anonymous Manuscript
on Cooking.
[1] Canterbury Tales - Jeffery Chaucer
[2] Chinese pottery from the Hsia Dynasty dating back about 1520 BCE as well as Greek pottery and Roman texts 520 CE.
[3] "Historical Cha no Yu" by Plutchow
[4] "A Medieval Home Companion" translated and edited by Tania Bayard. It is a translation of a 15c translation of a 14c treatise by an elderly Parisian merchant to his 15 year old bride on housewifery.
[5] 'Libre de Diversis Medicinis' c1400 CE & An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook (Manuscrito Anonimo) of the 13th Century
[6] Manuscrito Anonimo_, a 13th c. cookbook
[7] Libro de Guisados - 13th c.
[8] 'Libre de
Diversis Medicinis' c1400
[9] An Ordinance Of Pottage 15th c
[10] "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes c.1600
[11] Andalusian
p. 279 13th c.
[12] "The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Opened" edited by Jane Stevenson & Peter Davidson c.1600