Meathe
From The closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight opened, 1910
Adjust the proportion of herbs and spices to balance the sweetness of honey.
Presented as published in 1910. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation below, not the original instructions.
A modern interpretation · AI-generated from the original record
Ingredients
Method
As published
This recipe was extracted from The closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight opened (1910) by Sir Kenelm Digby, page 29. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.
a slight handful of Hops ; which after it had boiled a little above a quarter of an hour, he skimed off; then put in the honey to the boyling water, and presently a white scum rose, which he skimed off still as it rose ; which skim- ing was ended in little above a quarter of an hour more. Then he put in his herbs and spices, which were these : Rose-mary, Thyme, Winter-savory, THE CLOSET OPEUjED 17 Sweet -marjoram, Sweet -bryar- leaves, seven or eight little Parsley-roots : There was most of the Savoury, and least of the Eglantine, three Ounces of Ginger, one Ounce and a half of Cinnamon, five Nutmegs (half an Ounce of Cloves he would have added, but did not,) And these boiled an hour and a quarter longer ; in all from the first beginning to boil, somewhat less then two hours : Then he presently laded it out of the Copper into Coolers, letting it run through a Hair-sieve : And set the Coolers shelving (tilted up) that the Liquor might afterwards run the more quietlyout of them. After the Liquor had stood so about two hours, he poured or laded out of some of the Coolers very gently, that the dregs might not rise, into other Coolers. And about a pint of very thick dregs remained last in the bottom of every Cooler. That which ran out, was very clear : After two hours more settling, (in a shelving situation,) He poured it out again into other Coolers ; and then very little dregs (or scarce any in some of the Coolers) did remain. When the Liquor was even almost cold, He took the yolks of three New-laid- eggs, a spoonful of fine white flower, and about half a pint of new fresh barm of good strong Beer (you must have care that your barm be very white and clean, not sullied and foul, as is usual among slovenly Brewers in London). Beat this very well together, with a little of the Liquor in a skiming dish, till you see it well incorporated, and that it beginneth to work. Then put it to a pailful (of about two Gallons and a half) of the Liquor, and 1 8 SIR KENELMS DIGBIS mingle it well therewith. Then leave the skim- ing dish reversed floating in the middle of the Liquor, and so the yest will work up into and under the hollow of the dish, and grow out round about the sides without. He left this well and thick covered all night, from about eleven a clock at night ; And the next morning, finding it had wrought very well. He mingled what was in the Pail with the whole proportion of the Liquor, and so Tunned it up into a Sack-cask. I am not satis- fied, whether he did not put a spoonful of fine white good Mustard into his Barm, before he brought it hither, (for he took a pretext to look out some pure clean white barm) but he protested, there was nothing mingled with the barm, yet 1 am in doubt. He confessed to me that in making of Sider, He put's in half as much Mustard as Barm ; but never in Meathe. The fourth of Sep- tember in the morning, he Bottled up into Quart- bottles the two lesser Rundlets of this Meathe (for he did Tun the whole quantity into one large Rundlet, and two little ones) whereof the one contained thirty Bottles ; and the other, twenty two. There remained but little settling or dregs in the Bottom's of the Barrels, but some there was. The Bottles were set into a cool Cellar, and He said they would be ready to drink in three weeks. The Proportion of Herbs and Spices is this ; That there be so much as to drown the luscious sweet- ness of the Honey ; but not so much as to taste of herbs or spice, when you drink the Meathe. But that the sweetnes of the honey may kill their THE CLOSET OPErHED 19 taste : And so the Meathe have a pleasant taste, but not of herbs, nor spice, nor honey. And there- fore you put more or less according to the time you will drink it in. For a great deal will be mellowed away in a year, that would be ungrate- fully strong in three months. And the honey that will make it keep a year or two, will require a triple proportion of spice and herbs. He com- mends Parsley roots to be in greatest quantity, boiled whole, if young ; but quarterred and pithed, if great and old. MY OWN CONSIDERATIONS FOR MAK- ING OF MEATHE Boil what quantity of Spring-water you please, three or four walms, and then let it set the twenty four hours, and pour the clear from the settling. Take sixteen Gallons of the clear, and boil in it ten handfuls of Eglantine-leaves, five of Liverwort, five of Scabious, four of Baulm, four of Rosemary; two of Bayleaves ; one of Thyme, and one of Sweet- marjoram, and five Eringo-roots
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Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.