Hildegard von Bingen’s Violet Wine
Wine spiced with galingale (galangal) and licorice that gets its color from steeped violets. Shown here with Cookies of Joy
City/Region: Rhineland, Germany
Time Period: c. 1151-1158
Hildegard von Bingen was very forward-thinking, but she was still writing in the 12th century. While running monasteries, composing music, having visions, philosophizing, and defying authority, Hildegard also wrote medicinal recipes that combined current herbal remedies and the ancient Greco-Roman theory of the four humors. This spiced wine includes violets, galingale, and licorice, and is meant to decrease black bile and therefore melancholy. Feel free to change the amounts of galingale and licorice to suit your tastes. As it’s written, the wine is quite spicy from the galingale with just a hint of licorice.
“Anyone oppressed by melancholy with a discontented mind, which then harms his lungs, should cook violets in pure wine. He should strain this through a cloth, add a bit of galingale, and as much licorice as he wants, and so make spiced wine. When he drinks it, it will check the melancholy, make him happy, and heal his lungs.”
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup dried violets
- 2 cups (473 ml) white wine
- 1 slice of dried galingale* (galangal), about 1 inch (2 1/2 cm), crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered licorice*
*See notes below.
Instructions:
- Combine the violets and white wine in a pot and cook over low heat and simmer for 10 minutes, just long enough to infuse the violets (certainly not long enough to burn off all the alcohol).
- Pour the mixture through a strainer, then add the crushed galingale and licorice, stir, and let it sit for a couple of hours.
- Strain the wine through a layer of cheesecloth and serve it forth with Hildegard von Bingen’s Cookies of Joy for a double dose of medieval melancholy-banishing medicine.
Notes
- Galangal is related to ginger, but has a sharp citrusy, piney flavor. It's used in a lot of Southeastern Asian cuisines like Thai and Vietnamese, and in historical recipes like this one.
- Link to galangal: https://amzn.to/47FeKue
- Link to powdered licorice: https://amzn.to/45LCwnz
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