Mead and the Honeymoon

I recently came back from my honeymoon in Turkey, which was amazing. Though there was a lack of mead (Turkey is 98% Muslim) I did pick up some delicious pine flower honey from a pomegranate farm in Dalyan. Even though I was unable to have any mead on my honeymoon, I did serve some for the toast at my wedding reception.

Whether right or wrong, many believe that mead has close ties to the post-marriage celebration and is the reason we have the term “Honeymoon” to this day.

Within many cultures including Welsh, German and Scandinavian mead was often consumed during the wedding celebration as a toast to the bride and groom. After the wedding the couple was given enough mead to continue the toasting for one month following the wedding, or one cycle of the moon – hence the term “honeymoon” – One month of honey wine.

Not only was mead great for toasting and celebrating, it was also considered an aphrodisiac and was said to increase fertility and virility. What more do you need on a honeymoon? It was believed that by drinking mead for that first month, the bride would become fruitful and a child would be born within the year. Often, the groom filled with his fair share of Mead, was carried to the bedside of his bride. If nine months later, a baby was born, credit was given to the Mead.

So if you are getting married, grab a generous supply of mead and celebrate the history of the occasion!