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Week 5 [12.11-17.11.19] Quick history of polish mead


Wherever people were, what kind of work they wouldn’t do, they always preferred to rest. They loved rest and to amplify it they were creating whole cultures, religions, holidays as well as they discovered and produce substances to improve this saint and wonderful time. They were creating a thousands of amazing food and beverages. From well know beer through sunny wine to stronger drinks alcohol takes his earned place close to us for many years. People brew it from basically everything they had. And one of those is mead.


Mead is basically fermented honey with water, sometimes with added juice or herbs it is known around the globe and is strongly connected to ancient times especially in more colder regions. It is also our Slavic speciality.


People loved bees and their honey, it was only a matter of time before they discover how to make alcohol from it. Mead was well know in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece among Nords, Slavs and Celts. The earliest bottles of this beverages were found in Neolithic village of Jiahu, in Henan province, Northern China and they were 9000-years-old!






On polish lands mead is well known even before the times of Mieszko I. As these lands where to cold for large amount of grape, bees however never had such problem. It was brewed and exported in greatest quantity between XVI and XVII century. It was known all over Europe and loved on every noble manor. Until wars destroyed and divide Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth it was seen on weddings and holidays. There were even special inns that served their special mead in different styles for tired travellers.

Nowadays sadly it isn’t well know and many people don’t realise that it is a big part of Poland national heritage and history of greatest parties.

1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?

Comments

Bartosz Barnat said…
1. I haven't heard about fermented honey and I don't think I tried it. Unfortunately I'm not really a fan of an alcohol beverages.

2. I didn't know that in the past people were making mead in Poland so yes I guess we can learn something from history. I don't know if it is still made somewhere in Poland or in a different country but if not I think it can come back to live and people would love to try it themselves.
1.Unfortunately, I've never had the opportunity to try. But this will change soon, just last week my uncle invited me to consume mead. I have heard that it is excellent. It is a pity that it is not as popular as other alcohols or even traditional dishes.It would definitely be an interesting alternative to vodka, wine and even beer. I imagine sitting with friends on the river, on a warm summer evening and drinking mead.

2.Yes, I think that we young people can learn a lot from our grandparents. Especially when it comes to traditional cuisine. However, to do this we need to talk a lot with the elders. I have the impression that our grandparents are not aware of their knowledge, things they think are the basis and for us they are a complete surprise. We must encourage them to share their knowledge and tricks with us so, to protect our tradition. To be honest, whenever I talk to my grandparents, I learn various curiosities for example how to make an traditional apple pie.
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
Yes i heared and tried it. I do not remember where and when but It was good.

2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?
Yes i think so. Still even while we have access to so much data these days there are some "tricks" that were used by old civilaztions which can help us even know
Karol Michalak said…
Thanks for comment. Mead can be semi-easily aqcuired in bigger markets nowadyas like Auchan or Carrefour. It is made and there are few companies that sell it on bigger market or a few smaller ones that make it more craft-like as they cannot afford it to mass produce it to thousands of shops so it goes to only the few in bigger cities of our country.
Karol Michalak said…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts up here. Yes talking to elder people can be both tricky and hard as one's floor can be other one's roof and this is this situation. Not only cuisine but also knowledge about tradition as a whole. If you wish to try mead it is best to start in between so Dwojniak as proprotions of water and honey are 50/50 then you can decide if you want to go for more honey and sweet taste so Poltorak or perhaps something smoother so Trojniak or Czworniak even.
Karol Michalak said…
Thanks for your comment on the topic. Yes the internet is an abundance of knowledge but if no one will input it there it won't spread across the world through the media.
Damian Drozd said…
1. I've heard about mead, sadly I haven't tried one yet, guess it's about time!

2. Obviously, the simplest example is learning from the mistakes of those who came before so that we don't repeat them. It leads to making better decisions. We constantly learn something new focused on technology, but I think that there's still much more to learn from the past.
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
Yes, i heard about mead and tried personally maybe several times in my life. It has a very good taste (a slight aftertaste, lack of bitterness and a strong sense of alcohol), has a slightly denser consistency than ordinary alcoholic beverages (a bit thinner than liqueur). In truth, I could drink mead more often than just selected occasions, but still of all "premium" drinks I prefer whiskey.

2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?
Yes, this is an undoubted fact, because we can learn a lot from learning ancient times and past generations. We can learn about old customs or the processes of creating various products that are now manufactured in different ways. This certainly includes, for example the ancient recipes for dishes, completely forgotten farming techniques or farm management.
Kacper Gąsior said…
1. Yes, I have tried it. For me, it's quite too sweet for an alcohol (maybe that's the matter of type of mead), but I liked it.

2. I have no idea if it can cause a drastic change, but I think it doesn't have to. Small tricks, like self-made processed fruits and vegetables or tincture can be a nice addition to everyday meal. Of course, if you decide to replace your entire diet with self-made products it can significantly affect your health.
Karol Michalak said…
Thanks for your comment, yes we new a lot about technology actually we know so so much that we forget the basics about our surroundings and nature itself.
Karol Michalak said…
Thanks for sharing your point of view, yes I believe we as society forget a lot about at least cooking and herbs, we use technology for everything and may forget how to live one day.
Karol Michalak said…
Thanks for sharing your opinion, if the mead was too sweet maybe try it with some juice or a czworniak as it is almost like beer with honey.
1. Yes, I am pretty familiar with this topic, because my father works in a company that makes mead. To be honest, I am not a fan of very sweet alcohols, but I appreciate products of high quality. In some places we can unfortunately encounter fake mead, or more often – fake mulled wine, especially during all sorts of Christmas markets, or in ski resorts sold by highlanders. It is better to buy such products yourself and be aware of its content.

2. Yes, sometimes we find out that some “retro” methods of production or designing can bring very satisfying effects. Take for example valve amplifiers which are old fashioned, but high end. Another example are all sorts of hand made items, which are usually more prestigious. Sometimes very modern design becomes overcomplicated and the next version comes back to the origins. That happens for example to the cars, or smartphones and even software UI design, even though its history is very short.
Dawid Piotrak said…
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
I haven't heard about the mead I don't drink any alcohol so I haven't tried this one as well.

2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?

Yes, I believe that most of the tricks used in the past are needed now as we have even better solutions. They might turned out to be useful once there would be no technology for some reason. What i think could be useful for us as alternative medicine is their way of using different herbs, extract etc.
Maciej Szczypek said…
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
Not only have I heard about the mead but also I have tried it many times. It is really a great beverage, but one can not drink too much of it (which is actually good) because of how sweet is it.

2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?
Definitely yes. I would love to learn some of the tricks myself and apply it to my daily life. I would try to notice and monitor the affects of the tricks on my general condition.
1. Yes, I've heard of mead, but I've never had the opportunity to try it. I would love to try it. Maybe someday it will succeed? :)

2. I don't think I believe it, people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people. I think these are superstitions and rather impossible to achieve. Let's just go ahead, live the present and the future.
1. Yes I did heard about it and tried multiple times. I really like the taste of honey so I was really suprised by this beverage and like to drink it from time to time.

2. Of course, yes, for example, most of the survival tricks are based on ancient knowledge. Also food and alcohol recipes, some of them are unchanged or slightly upgraded compared to they original form.

1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
Yes of course ! I really like mead although it can't be drunk in large quantities because it is too sweet. Consumed occasionally is very tasty.


2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?
Yes, I think so. In fact, every single thing can change. It depends on what effect we care about. What we want to achieve through our actions.
Adam Tokarczyk said…
1. I have heard about Polish mead, and I like it a lot. It's one of my two favorite alcohols alongside whisky. I'm also very happy that it's tied to our history, instead of wine for which we have bad climate, as it's in my opinion the most despicable alcohol and I can't understand its popularity. Would be nice if restaurants replaced those fermented grapes with glorious, amber colored nectar of the gods :). Unfortunately most of meads that you can buy in shop are average or even below average, and not everyone has access to homemade brews which can't be even compared.

2. There's a lot to learn from history. There's more to gain for future, than from the past, but it doesn't mean there's no value in what our ancestors achieved. The best example is probably architecture. It took hundreds of years to explain how pyramids were actually made and we probably still can't be 100% sure we're right about them. And it's just one of many things, which making of, considering times it was made in, seems unimaginable.
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
I heard about this but never tried before but if there is a chance, I will try one of them.
2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?
Of course we can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks if we could develop them once why wouldn’t we develop them again there are many old books, stories or folklore which could give us some clues about what we are looking for and then we need try and learn on our mistakes and never give up.
Paweł Hadacz said…
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?

I've heard of mead many times. The theme of mead scrolls was brought up many times in movies, books and articles. unfortunately I have never had the opportunity to try it.

2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?

I think we should study the history of our ancestors. I'm sure many of their discoveries and tricks are waiting to be discovered and have been buried with these people.
Many of the ideas of old people were groundbreaking. Often, these simple methods that our ancestors used, turned out to be the best. If we flash back, we can see how many amazing things people have done in the mists of time.
Yubin said…
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
Yes, I have tried it even in my home city, that is also why I am interested in this presentation, I remember the taste was kinda sweet, and I really like sweet food or drinks, but I didn't know it was tied to Polish history, now you remind me to buy it again soon.

2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?
Yes, I believe, and it depends on if the skills are useful to our lives, for those ones are useful, such forgotten tricks or lost arts are traditional cultural heritages, it is always good to study culture and study them, people should not forget their roots, and traditional culture is our root.

s15385 said…
1. Yes, I've heard about mead but unfortunatelly I've never tried it. I hope it will change soon.

2. I think we can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks. We've learnt a lot of from past generation and develop this knowledge to be more usefull and effective.
Szymon Kluczek said…
1. Yes, I’ve heard about mead, moreover I had an opportunity to try traditional polish mead and I have to admit that this beverage is really delicious. It is a perfect drink for cold evenings to warm yourself up.

2. Of course, I think so. If people learn some old „lifehacks” from older generation or from historical notes, they could improve their lives’ conditions on some ground; such knowledge could be very useful in my opinion.
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?

I definitely have heard about mead but I haven't tried one yet. I've tried many alcohol beverages containing honey like beers, whisky or vodkas, but an actual mead - unfortunately never. I've only heard that it's very tasty and not really strong - at least the one that my friends tried.

2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?

Yes, I am sure about that. People in the past were suprisingly creative when it comes to taking care of their things. Their methods might have not survived a test of time, but it doesn't make them less effective. Their ways of baking breads and cakes could be really refreshing in comparison to the ways that we all know and use for centuries. Similar thing goes for making clothes. Their methods could be completely different from the ones we use. Those tricks might not revolutionize our lives but at least would force some new ideas to appear.
Mateusz Szych said…
1. Yes, I have. I really like it.

2. Yes, I do. Forgotten knowledge often brings a lot of useful information. I once read that an ointment made according to a medieval recipe turned out to be more effective than classic medicines.
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
I have heard about mead, although I have seen it many times on the shelf I haven’t bought any. I think I have tried it once but I’m not sure if it was the real thing.

2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?
I do believe that we can learn a lot of things from our elders, that are not used/forgotten and might be very useful now. Some things that were once forgotten are coming back, for example traditional shoemaking isn’t so popular now as it was 100 years ago, but there are some people who can do it, and more and more young people are learning this craft.
1. Yes, I have. I have not only tried it but helped in producing one. My father is an amateur winemaker and once he decided to experiment with honey. The beverage turned out a bit different than the ones in stores. It was more clear and had still some bubbles from the fermentation process.

2. Yes. I have a fun fact for you all: concrete was invented by ancient Romans, they used it in various constructions, such as Pantheon in Rome. Later came the Middle Ages, or the Dark Ages, when people completely forgot about it. Concrete was reinvented only in the 19th century. I think that more inventions like this have been forgotten and are waiting for its times.
s18716 said…
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
I have heard of such a thing, but have never tried it. Interestingly, mead is as healthy as honey? I am really struck by such things, and how people came to the conclusion that such things can be made. What does it happen in different eras and how you wrote at different times.
I really appreciate the benefits and properties of natural honey. Unfortunately, it is not so easy to find today, because what is sold in supermarkets is intended for mass consumption. Manufacturers save money and then we will teach a less than ideal product, whatever it might be. Surely even today if we are talking about a real mead, it will most likely be a home-made mead. Such a thing is very difficult to find as well.

2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?
I not only believe in it, but I know that it really is. Many of the new methods and tricks that come up with today are just forgotten old tricks. There are countless such things. Especially with regard to medicine and various home life hacks. All these things were previously applicable in everyday life, since there were no such amenities that we now have and people had to think more. In general, this is one of the great moments in archeology. People during the excavations of ancient civilizations have gained a lot of experience. At least in jewelry, winemaking, papermaking technology and so on.
1.Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
Unfortunately I never heard that there's possibility to get alcohol from honey. I'm not a big fan of alcohol drinks that's why there's no chance that I've tried it.
2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?
Yes sure! That's why we have to study history and learn from old generation. This is how evolution of mankind started and continues.
1. Sometimes I drink mead, it is very good but I don't remember what are the types my friend knows about it.
2. I think that this is possible, my friend recently built boat plans according to the old Slavic.
Mykyta Smirnov said…
1. Have you heard about mead or maybe you tried one of them?
I like it. It's very tasty, I've tried some different kinds in different cities in Ukraine. I haven't tasted Polish one, but i think I will in future.

2. Do you believe people can learn a few old but long forgotten tricks that may still change how we live by studying history of their people?
Anything new is an old forgotten one. Inspiration comes from past, and we study on a mistakes and achievements of our prescestors. Also it's very important to keep traditions alive, to keep culture and technologies known.

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