A mead recipe from the Roman empire

by Eduardo Miranda | on 5 Nov, 2012

Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (AD 4 ca. AD 70) , was one of the most important writer
on agriculture of the Roman empire. Little is known of his life but he was probably born in
Gades (modern Cadiz, Spain).
From his writing reached us De re rustica (field work) and Liber de arboribus (Book of trees).
The first of these works, written in AD 42, is divided into twelve volumes, and inspired by earlier
works of other Latin, Greek and Carthaginian authors, it all works on the filed in the broadest
sense of the word: from the practice of agriculture, livestock and beekeeping until the cure of
animals and the preparation of different products and preserves. In the book De Arboribus
discusses plant cultivation, as the vine, until the trees like olive or fruit trees, and even flowers
like violet or roses, Columellas work is considered the most extensive repertoire and
documented on Roman agriculture.

De re rustica first page and page 157 (vol. XII)

Hand scribe in Npoles, in 1488 by Giovanni Rinaldo Mennio with Illuminations from Francesco di Antonio del
Chierico

In De re rustica, volume XII, page 157, we can find a reference to a mead recipe entitled De
aqua mulsa facienda:
[Latim transcription]
DE AQUA MULSA FACIENDA. Itaque seposita elle et ad condituras destinata, per se facienda erit optimo melle
aqua mulsa. Haec autem non uno modo conponitur; nam quidam multos ante annos caelestem aquam vasis
includunt et sub dio in sole habent, deinde, cum saepius eam in alia vasa transfuderunt et eliquaverunt; nam
quotiensque etiam per longum tempus diffunditur, aliquod crassamentum in imo simile faeci reperitur , veteris
aquae sextarium cum libra mellis miscent. Nonnulli tamen, qui austeriorem volunt efficere gustum, sextarium aquae
cum dodrante pondo mellis diluunt et ea portione repletam lagonam gypsatamque patiuntur per Caniculae ortum in
sole quadraginta diebus esse; tum demum in tabulatum, quod fumum accipit, reponunt.
ALITER. Nonnulli, quibus non fuit curae caelestem inveterare aquam, recentem sumunt eamque usque in quartam
partem decoquunt; deinde, cum refrixerit, sive dulciorem mulseam facere volunt, duobus aquae sextariis sextarium
mellis permiscent, sive austeriorem, sextario aquae dodrantem mellis adiciunt; et his portionibus factam in lagonam
diffundunt eamque, sicut supra dixi, quadraginta diebus insolatam postea in tabulatum, quod suffumigatur,
reponunt.

In 1745, a anonymous translation of De re rustica and Liber de arboribus into English was
published by A. Millar (London, UK) with the title L. Junius Moderatus Columella of
Husbandry in Twelve Books and his Book concerning Trees.

De re rustica published by A. Millar, in 1745, first page and page 517 (Chapter XII)

In this English translation of Columellas work we can find the mead recipe on chapter XII, page
517, entitled Of the Way to make mead:
[English transcription]
Therefore having set apart this bees-wax-water, and destinated it for preserving of fruits, mead must be made by
itself of the very best honey ; but it is not made after one manner : for some, many years before, put up rainwater in vessels, and set it in the Sun in the open air ; then, having emptied it from one vessel to another, and
made it very clear, (for, as often as it is poured from one vessel to another, even for a long time, there is found, in
the bottom of the vessel, some thick settling like dregs) they mix a sextarius of old water with a pound of honey.
Nevertheless some, when they have a mind to make the mead of a rougher taste, mingle a sextarius of water with
three quarters of a pound of honey ; and after they have, according to this proportion, filled a stone bottle, and
plaistered it, they suffer it to be forty days in the Sun, during the rising of the Dog-star ; then they put it up in a
lost, which receives smoak. Some, who have not been at the pains to preserve rain-water till it becomes old, take
that which is fresh, and boil it in to a fourth part : then, after it is grown cold, if either they have a mind to make
mead sweeter than ordinary, they mix a sextarius of honey with two sextarii of water ; or, if they would have it
rougher, they put three quarters of a pound of honey to a sextarius of water ; and, having made it according to
these proportions, they pour it into a stone bottle ; and, after they have kept it forty days in the Sun, as I faid
above, they put it up in a lost, which receives smoak from below.

Note about units:

Sextarius A sextarius is an 1/48th of an amphora quadrantal. The amphora quadrantal was a
unit for measuring liquids or bulk goods in the Roman Empire. The volume of a standard
amphora is equal to one cubic foot (one foot is about 296 mm) there is about 25.93 liters. The
theoretical value for the sextarius is about 540.3 ml.
Libra / Roman pound The libra is an ancient Roman unit of mass that was equivalent to
approximately 328.9 grams. The libra is the origin of the abbreviation for pound, lb. The
commonly used abbreviation lbs to indicate the plural unit of measurement does not reflect Latin
usage, in which lb is both the singular and plural abbreviation.
The Latin text makes reference to libra so in the english text must be understood as a reference to
the Roman pound.
Disclaimer: The formulas (recipes) for mead in this article was commonly consumed in historic
times. The recipes and instructions for these meads are for historical and educational purposes
only. The author do not recommend the making or use of these meads by the reader. The author
shall be held blameless for any injury to the reader that may occur from the ingestion of any of
these recipes.