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Tuesday, January 5, 2010

A Medieval Recipe for Travelers


Two days before Christmas, I got the final edit from the copy-editor at Five Star, for my upcoming book, The Tapestry Shop. At this stage, it has already been edited, and the last copy-editor gives it her nod. I was grateful that the changes were only a few commas and a word or two, so it turned out to be a nice gift after all. This is all to explain why my blog is a bit brief this time, what with being gone and the deadline to return the manuscript.
That said, I promised earlier I would blog from time to time about food, ancient and medieval, so after a nine-hour drive home from spending Christmas with my daughter, I thought this recipe, from a collection of recipes in a cookbook in the Public Domain, sounded like just what I needed. Besides, it’s supposed to work wonders, as the ancient cook promises, giving endurance and strength to a weary traveler.

Honey Refresher for Travelers
Conditum Melizonium1 Viatorium
The wayfarer's honey refresher (so called because it gives endurance and strength to pedestrians)2 with which travelers are refreshed by the wayside is made in this manner: flavor honey with ground pepper and skim. In the moment of serving put honey in a cup, as much as is desired to obtain the right degree of sweetness, and mix with spiced wine not more than a needed quantity; also add some wine to the spiced honey to facilitate its flow and the mixing.

6 comments:

Kathy Otten said...

Interesting. I don't get the pepper in the honey, but the rest sounds good.

Mary Ricksen said...

I'll just take the spiced wine thanks. Pepper and honey??

Barbara Edwards said...

I don't know if its the honey or the spiced wine that sounds so appealing. I'd like to have it served after a long trip.
www.barbaraedwards.net

Joyce Moore said...

Kathy: I agree. some of the old recipes, you wonder at their taste buds! Thanks for the comment.

Joyce Moore said...

Hi Mary: Yes, someone else commented on pepper in the honey. Well, I guess it gave the wine a certain zing...
Thanks for stopping by. Always good to hear from you.

Joyce Moore said...

Hi Barbara: Nice to have you stopping by! With all this cold weather in Florida, the spiced wine sounds pretty good to me right now too!
Take care, and have a prosperous New Year!