Medieval Drinks, non-alcoholic?!
we have a class medieval day and i have the job of organising the drinks!. The problem is, the only the i can find that medieval drank was all alcoholic except for milk and water!. Anybody know any non-alcoholic drinks we can serve instead!? Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
There are many non-alcoholic drinks in the Medieval Period!. One of them is of course water, other non-alcoholic drinks include Milk, buttermilk and whey and seasonal fruit juices!. Here are excerpts about Medieval non-alcoholic drink:
"But what sort of non-alcoholic drinks were available during the Middle Ages!? How did the people cool their drinks on a hot day!? Hopefully, I'll be able to answer both these questions in an interesting and tasty way!.
Water
Water, the planet is covered mostly by this most essential material component of life!. Vast oceans and seas contain a seemingly inexhaustible supply of water that is too salty to drink and would cause most people to dehydrate than relieve their thirst!. Fresh water is in shorter supply!. The Middle Ages is not well known for its sanitary treatment of water supplies!. It was typical for one town or village on a river to pollute it, with little or no concern for those who may live down river!. This is likely due to the basic lack of knowledge of what bacteria or other contaminants were!. But the people knew enough that water from such sources was not good for their health!."
In The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages, Terence Scully writes "As a mealtime beverage, water did not play as important role on the medieval dinner table as it does today!. The same disadvantages militated against the use of water on the table as in the kitchen: only spring-water could be trusted to be free of pollution, and that only with a number of carefully weighed provisos: the discharge from the spring must have a good flow, it must come directly from the ground or a rock, it must be cold, and so forth!."
Thus spring water, or water that had been treated was the water that people would drink, except those who did not have the means to have a liquid any other way!. To further this, in Food and Drink in Britain (From the Stone Age to the 19th Century), C!. Anne Wilson writes, "Of the non- alcoholic beverages the commonest were milk, buttermilk, whey and water!. Bede quotes an example of royal initiative in the matter of water provision which took place about the year 628!. King Edwin of Northumbria, having noticed clear water springs near the highway in a number of places, had posts erected beside them from which bronze drinking cups were hung!. And the people held him in such awe and love that none dared lay hands on them except for their intended purpose!." Ann Hagen further supports this in Anglo-Saxon Food and Drink, Production and Distribution by stating "That springs were evidently well-regarded, is evinced by the number of times that a spring suddenly welled-up on the sites were martyrs were slain!. King Alfred added to his translation of Boethius on the Golden Age, 'they drank the water of the clear springs'!."
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
As noted above, some of the non-alcoholic drinks include Milk, buttermilk and whey!. Adding to that list seasonal fruit juices, you had a vast variety of beverages available for consumption!. However, a good portion of the milk taken for consumption, or fruit juices made its way into being preserved in such forms as cheese and brewed drinks!. Fruit juices were also made into syrups, diluted with cold water, it makes a very refreshing drink!. There is still a remaining question, how were beverages cooled on hot days!?
Ice and Snow
The answer to the question of how did people in the Middle Ages cooled their drinks seems blatantly obvious!. They used ice and snow!. But how did they have ice on a hot day, let alone snow!? How did they prevent it from melting!?
In New Preservation Techniques, Giorgio Pedrocco writes "The use of snow and ice as natural preserving agents goes back to ancient times!. The homes of the rich contained wine cellars and deeper underground spaces where ice and foodstuffs could be kept!. Each town or village had one or more icehouses – buried structures in which the ice collected during the winter was stored for later use to preserve meat, fish, and vegetables!." According to Charles Panati in Ancient Inventions "Even normal Greeks and Roman bought snow and ice imported on donkey trains!. Few could afford private ice houses!. Most urban residents bought it at snow shops!. In Rome deep pits were filled with snow and covered with straw!. Water melted and ran through forming a bottom layer of ice that sold at a premium!. Snow could be more expensive than wine!."
Charles Panati also states "There were ice houses in the Near East as early as 1700 B!.C!. when Zimri-Lin, a ruler of Mari (an important city on the Euphrates), boasted of having constructed the first ice house on the Euphrate!.!.!. Alexander the Great built the first Greek ice house!." Ice-houses became more common after the 17th century started!. Ice-houses were known in Colonial Williamsburg and were written in accounts of 19th century farm life!.
In Europe today, exist well known natural ice-houses, ice caves!. Notable ice caves are found in Slovakia, Macedonia and AWww@FoodAQ@Com
"But what sort of non-alcoholic drinks were available during the Middle Ages!? How did the people cool their drinks on a hot day!? Hopefully, I'll be able to answer both these questions in an interesting and tasty way!.
Water
Water, the planet is covered mostly by this most essential material component of life!. Vast oceans and seas contain a seemingly inexhaustible supply of water that is too salty to drink and would cause most people to dehydrate than relieve their thirst!. Fresh water is in shorter supply!. The Middle Ages is not well known for its sanitary treatment of water supplies!. It was typical for one town or village on a river to pollute it, with little or no concern for those who may live down river!. This is likely due to the basic lack of knowledge of what bacteria or other contaminants were!. But the people knew enough that water from such sources was not good for their health!."
In The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages, Terence Scully writes "As a mealtime beverage, water did not play as important role on the medieval dinner table as it does today!. The same disadvantages militated against the use of water on the table as in the kitchen: only spring-water could be trusted to be free of pollution, and that only with a number of carefully weighed provisos: the discharge from the spring must have a good flow, it must come directly from the ground or a rock, it must be cold, and so forth!."
Thus spring water, or water that had been treated was the water that people would drink, except those who did not have the means to have a liquid any other way!. To further this, in Food and Drink in Britain (From the Stone Age to the 19th Century), C!. Anne Wilson writes, "Of the non- alcoholic beverages the commonest were milk, buttermilk, whey and water!. Bede quotes an example of royal initiative in the matter of water provision which took place about the year 628!. King Edwin of Northumbria, having noticed clear water springs near the highway in a number of places, had posts erected beside them from which bronze drinking cups were hung!. And the people held him in such awe and love that none dared lay hands on them except for their intended purpose!." Ann Hagen further supports this in Anglo-Saxon Food and Drink, Production and Distribution by stating "That springs were evidently well-regarded, is evinced by the number of times that a spring suddenly welled-up on the sites were martyrs were slain!. King Alfred added to his translation of Boethius on the Golden Age, 'they drank the water of the clear springs'!."
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
As noted above, some of the non-alcoholic drinks include Milk, buttermilk and whey!. Adding to that list seasonal fruit juices, you had a vast variety of beverages available for consumption!. However, a good portion of the milk taken for consumption, or fruit juices made its way into being preserved in such forms as cheese and brewed drinks!. Fruit juices were also made into syrups, diluted with cold water, it makes a very refreshing drink!. There is still a remaining question, how were beverages cooled on hot days!?
Ice and Snow
The answer to the question of how did people in the Middle Ages cooled their drinks seems blatantly obvious!. They used ice and snow!. But how did they have ice on a hot day, let alone snow!? How did they prevent it from melting!?
In New Preservation Techniques, Giorgio Pedrocco writes "The use of snow and ice as natural preserving agents goes back to ancient times!. The homes of the rich contained wine cellars and deeper underground spaces where ice and foodstuffs could be kept!. Each town or village had one or more icehouses – buried structures in which the ice collected during the winter was stored for later use to preserve meat, fish, and vegetables!." According to Charles Panati in Ancient Inventions "Even normal Greeks and Roman bought snow and ice imported on donkey trains!. Few could afford private ice houses!. Most urban residents bought it at snow shops!. In Rome deep pits were filled with snow and covered with straw!. Water melted and ran through forming a bottom layer of ice that sold at a premium!. Snow could be more expensive than wine!."
Charles Panati also states "There were ice houses in the Near East as early as 1700 B!.C!. when Zimri-Lin, a ruler of Mari (an important city on the Euphrates), boasted of having constructed the first ice house on the Euphrate!.!.!. Alexander the Great built the first Greek ice house!." Ice-houses became more common after the 17th century started!. Ice-houses were known in Colonial Williamsburg and were written in accounts of 19th century farm life!.
In Europe today, exist well known natural ice-houses, ice caves!. Notable ice caves are found in Slovakia, Macedonia and AWww@FoodAQ@Com
cider is one medieval beverage i know of!. it can be NON alcoholic, like apple cider!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
I agree with Zack!. If you want to change it up a little you can mull the cider with spices (nutmeg, cinnamon)!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
