Scott's Mead
I was thinking of the post I made yesterday regarding the Chicha from the Andes mountain region and it got me thinking of a story I heard regarding one of my all time favorite beverages, Mead.This tale takes place in ancient Scotland when a group of people referred to as ‘Picts’ inhabited the highlands. They were regarded as fierce and nearly undefeatable warriors despite their average height of around 4 feet tall or so. They were held in high regard due to this fighting prowess and were largely left alone.
One of the rituals the Picts would go through just prior to a battle involved consumption of a special methaglin, a type of mead that is flavored with herbs. In this case, the herb used to season and flavor the mead was a type of heather, which was abundant in the area of the hills near the shoreline. After drinking the mead, they would chant and dance and psych themselves up for the battle and then charge in with ‘mad fighting spirit’.
Quite some time later as brewing became less of an art and more of a science, it was discovered that the heather the Picts once used for brewing was prone to a white fungus that grew on the stalks. It is locally referred to as “the fog” for the look that it gives the plants. Upon examination, it was discovered that the fungus contained the root chemical as that found in PCP, more commonly known on the street as “angel dust”. With some further experimenting, they found that the effect of this fungus was increased dramatically through the process of brewing into the mead!
The ferocity of the Picts apparently had nothing to do with the Picts themselves, but rather the drug affect the mead bestowed upon them. One of the affects that PCP has on a person is the ability to not feel or respond to pain and injury. This would explain why they just kept on coming in a battle. Imagine the stunned looks on the faces of would be attackers as they mortally wounded the Picts but they continued to fight to their dying breath. It is no wonder they had the reputation they did as fierce fighters.
Think about this the next time you swill a glass of mead. It is amazing the stories that can come from something as simple as a honey wine.
posted by Bonzai @ 9:36 AM
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