Vancouver Food Network

One artisan food that is still hard to find is mead, or "honey wine." The sort of thing one imagines medieval warriors drinking from flagons, mead is hard to find commercially and often of spotty quality. Conventional recipes for mead take months and special equipment, so t'ej, an Ethiopian quick mead, is an amazing recipe to know.

Mead within Weeks, Using Wild Yeast

Yeast is a kind of fungus that lives all around us, with dozens of species' spores suspended in the air. It is cultivated yeast that makes bread rise, specialized yeast used to brew bear, and natural yeast or "bloom" on grapes that makes wine possible as the fungus breaks down sugars to produce (a) alcohol and (b) bubbles.

Sandor Katz recipe from Wild Fermentation

This recipe is a simple one, taken from Sandor Katz' book Wild Fermentation: the Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods.

Special Equipment

• One wide-mouthed gallon jar, crock or plastic bucket
• One narrow-mouthed gallon jug, such as used for apple cider
• Inexpensive air-lock (optional, less than $2 at a brewing-supply store)

Ingredients

• One part (3 cups) honey, raw if possible
• Four parts (12 cups) water

Directions

1. In crock, mix honey and water until honey is fully dissolved
2. Cover with towel or cloth and set aside in a warm room for a few days
3. Gently stir the honey-water a few times each day, to expose and mix in air
4. After a few days (3-5, depending on temperature), transfer fragrant wine into a clean glass jug and cover it with an airlock. If you don't have an airlock, a balloon or loose-fitting lid will do. The idea is to keep air out but not keep too much pressure in.
5. Leave for 2-4 weeks, or until the bubbling stops
6. Wine may be drinken immediately or aged with other flavors as Katz details in Wild Fermentation

Obviously, this honey-wine is mildly alcoholic and should only be enjoyed by those of legal age for whom it is medically safe and socially prudent.

For Further Information

• Wikipedia articles on yeast, mead in general, and t'ej in particular.
• Bader Beer and Wine Supply, 711 Grand Blvd, Vancouver WA 98661. (360) 750-1551. Inexpensive airlocks, bottles and other home-brewing supplies.
• Sandor Katz' 2003 book Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. FVRL call number 641.7 KATZ or from Powells.com.