It was frustrating for me to talk about different kinds of #mead using their English name when speaking in French, so I decided to progressively translate them.
The first on my list was cyser. I went back to its Latin root sīcera and evolved it back to Modern French.
French speakers, say hello to the word cicère!
Next on my list are metheglin, bochet, and pyment.
@phundrak
Mead is only honey fermented. metheglin is essentially spiced mead. I've never encountered melomel, but supposedly it's added fruit, but I don't know if to the brew or afterwards.
I've brewed/fermented both mead and metheglin. Likely metheglin is a much later invention.
What do the actual French speakers in different regions call them (Normandy, Belgium, Swiss, Britanny etc. Or even Canada.)?
Mead is only honey fermented. metheglin is essentially spiced mead.
Strictly speaking, you’re correct, but it’s far from uncommon for people to refer to mead derivates as meads too, while stricto sensu “mead” is often referred to as “traditional mead”.
I've never encountered melomel, but supposedly it's added fruit, but I don't know if to the brew or afterwards.
Melomel is indeed any kind of mead made with fruits involved, either during fermentation or after.
I've brewed/fermented both mead and metheglin. Likely metheglin is a much later invention.
Indeed, but I wonder by how much. Hippocras is a kind of spiced wine that already existed back in the Middle Ages, I would be surprised if metheglin did not either. But yes, relatively to the birth of mead (at least five millennia ago), it may be somewhat recent.
What do the actual French speakers in different regions call them[…]?
Generally by a descriptive name. “Metheglin” is referred to as “spiced mead” (“hydromel épicé”), “cyser” as “apple mead” (“hydromel à la pomme”), “rhodomel” as “rose mead” (“hydromel à la rose”), etc… But I’ve never heard about braggot, bochet, or pyment, nor cannot find anything about them in a French-speaking context.
@phundrak I've never heard of braggot, bochet, or pyment.
Mead and Beer are very old, Wine later and quite old. I researched a lot about food and drink in Ireland 2,500 years ago and the Mediterranean generally (inc earlier & later). Because trade was often by sea (Cornwall & Cork jointly exporting tin and copper for bronze), jars of food and drink (olives & wine) imported to Ireland as well as the gold payment.
Greek writer: "They call themselves Keltoi"
@phundrak Meall in Irish is often translated 'pleasant', but in old Irish was honey. The 'gh' of Magh (plain) became soft hence Moy in anglicised place names, but still harder in lough (English lake).
So legendary Magh Meall is 'plain [of] honey' not pleasant plain. c.f. Israel 'land of milk and honey', though goat milk and possibly date honey (which is not from crushing dates).
Middle Ages is maybe only an hour ago vs the first villages making beer and mead are thought of as a day ago?
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