Beekeeping and Honey Throughout History - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 63

into four parts. Mold each quarter into a bun and place them on the baking
tray on top of a fresh bay leaf. Cover with your brick * and bake for 35 to 40
minutes until goldenbrown.Warmthehoneyinashallow dishandplace the
warm cakes in it so that they absorb the honey. Allow to stand 30 minutes
before serving.
* The Romans often covered their cooking food with a domed earthenware cover called a testo. You can use an
overturned shallow clay pot, a metal bowl, or casserole dish as a brick.
Libum, a traditional Roman sweet-cheese bread that Apicius wrote about, is similar
toourmodern-daycheesecake.Makingitwasoftenasacredactandpartoftheworship
of household deities. Served hot or cold, libum should be generously drizzled with
honey.
MEAD (OR HONEY WINE) : Mead, a fermented beverage made with honey, is the first
known alcoholic drink and is known in mythology as the drink of the gods. It is found
in every ancient culture and is now experiencing a reemergence in the United States.
Metheglin is mead made with spices (such as cloves, cinnamon, or nutmeg) or herbs
(such as oregano, hops, or even lavender or chamomile). Fermented mead with grape
juice is called pyment . Mead made with berries, like strawberries, blackberries, or rasp-
berries, is called melomel . The list goes on and on, since honey wine pairs well with all
types of ingredients to create a truly unique drink.
Every country has its own version of distilled alcoholic beverages made with honey.
Some popular ones are Benedictine in France, Drambuie in Scotland, Irish Mist in Ire-
land, Grappa al miele in Italy, Krupnik in Poland, and Barenfang in Germany.
Telling the Bees
There is an old beekeeping tradition known as “telling the bees.” First, the
bees must know everything that goes on in their keeper's family, includ-
ing births, deaths, illnesses, and marriages. Then, upon the death of the bee-
keeper, a close family member should approach the hive, knock three times
with the key to the house, and whisper the news to the bees. The bees, it
is said, need to be assured that someone will take care of them after their
keeper has died; otherwise, they will abscond or not produce honey. Two