Polish Mead

Miod pitny, drinking honey, is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks made in Poland, recorded from the early Middle Ages when the forests supported large-scale wild beekeeping, and it is graded by a system that is worth understanding before buying: poltorak is one part honey to half a part water, dwojniak one to one, trojniak one to two, czworniak one to three. The stronger the ratio, the sweeter and more alcoholic the result and the longer it needs - poltorak requires a minimum of several years and is usually given eight to ten, dwojniak two or more. Four of these categories hold EU protected traditional speciality status. Meads are made plain or with hops, spices, hazel, juniper or fruit, and the good ones are complex rather than simply sweet. Meaderies in Lublin, Podlasie and Wielkopolska sell direct, and the drink appears at Christmas markets and folk fairs everywhere.

What you actually see

• A four-step grading - poltorak, dwojniak, trojniak and czworniak by water added.
• Long ageing - the strongest given eight to ten years before it is drinkable.
• EU protected categories - traditional speciality status for the four grades.
• Flavoured versions - hopped, spiced, or made with juniper, hazel and fruit.

When to go

All year. An hour.

Honest expectations

Cheap supermarket mead is usually short-aged and cloying - the difference from a properly aged poltorak is large. It is strong, often sixteen per cent or more. Bottles from good meaderies are not cheap.

Nearby

Lublin, Bialystok and Poznan are the regional centres for it.