Saturday 20 February 2010

Meyes Ethopian Mead (£4.50, 37.5cl?, ??)

Ah at last my first Ethopian mead and from a restaurant (Zigni House) just up the road from work, which I’ve been meaning to find an excuse to visit for some time.

I’ve been before but suffered a little from the menu which seemed to be very dish specific and the conflict between carnivores (like myself) and vegetarians (most of my friends). This time there was a fair posse and the meat dish (Zil-Zil) and Injera worked well for me.

The mead was served in an interesting bulbous bottle (perhaps a Berele) of indeterminate size and strength. I reckon 375-400ml in that it filled two small glasses of wine. The waitress suggested drinking straight from the bottle, and I tried but the narrow neck made it a bit weird.

From the bottle there was a sweetish honey smell, from the glass a much more bitter one, and the first taste reflected the bitter scent more.

This is definitely an interesting taste, not at all sweat like other meads, but still very pleasant. There’s quite a watery taste here, perhaps it’s not that strong or has been mixed, and the bitter taste may well represent what the honey has been fermented with.

The description of the brewing of Tej includes:
The powdered leaves and twigs of Gesho (Rhamnus prinoides, a hops like bittering agent which is a species of buckthorn

And equally if I wasn;t so British I could have asked for more details.

Still an interesting diversion from sweater meads, something to repeat and an excuse to seek out Ethopian restaurants across London, which sounds like quite a fun expedition for the coming months.

Addis on Caledonian road was recommended by one of my eating companions and so more to follow.

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