I need a bit of rough!

 

Well, actually, that should read: ruff. But how else does one get traffic to the site? (Hmm, even 'traffic', when translated into German, can have sexual undertones, if one is so inclined..., but I digress...).

On the last day of April, a Pagan festival known as Walpurgisnacht, is still traditionally celebrated all over Germany, as Tanz in den Mai, and with the month of May comes Maibowle. May Wine or May Punch contains a magic ingredient, a herb called woodruff,  or to give it its German name: Waldmeister - Master of the Woods.  

I  have woodruff flavoured jelly powder and even woodruff flavoured syrup, but the traditional mix for Maibowle would be 2 litres of dry white wine to 1 litre of sparkling wine (or mineral water), with the bunch of previously dried or frozen Waldmeister suspended into the liquid so that the  stems don't touch the wine. On Wikipedia, under the heading May Wine, it is said that the plant is slightly poisonous, so caution is advised - no more than 5 plants per litre of punch. Which is all very well, if only I had ANY, but alas woodruff doesn't seem to be native to Britain.

  

So I checked out the German recipes online, to find out whether anyone has tried using the syrup. And lo and behold, they have! What can I tell you? I saw the most curious recipes.

1.

750 ml lemonade (woodruff flavour)

1 bottle of sparkling wine

1 bottle of white wine

1/2 bottle of Schnaps (wheat)

2.

3 l of white wine

1/2 l of red wine

125 g honey

woodruff

3.

white wine

sparkling wine

woodruff

mint

lemon balm

2 slices of lemon

4.

1 bottle of sparkling wine

250ml of vodka

800ml mineral water

200ml woodruff syrup

600 g stawberries

And another one, admittedly called East Prussian May Punch, does not contain any woodruff, but red wine, sparkling wine, dark beer and arrak! Which reminded me of the Altbierbowle which was popular in Germany in the early 80s. Now that I've brought my parents' big punch bowl upstairs from the cellar, I think I'll do that for the next book party at my house... But I'm digressing again.

I ended up with a mixture of the above: 200 ml of the syrup, topped up to 800ml with mineral water, 1 bottle of white wine, 1 bottle of cava, a few strawberries, 2 slices of lemon, some mint, and then I made the fatal mistake of adding a bit of rum. I don't think it needs any spirit - but if one feels there should be some, then it is definitely advisable to use a clear one with little own flavour!

It certainly does work with the syrup - in fact, just the syrup and wine and mineral water would make it very similar to the one you can buy ready made in bottles, in Germany that is. So, no good at all here, and I haven't seen any syrup here either. Sometimes Lidl sell the jelly powder, and I must give it a go - I'll report back.

Ideally, I'd grow my own woodruff. I know that some people have done it, and use it in interesting recipes, such as woodruff flavoured panna cotta with a strawberry jus. Sounds and looks divine.

Apparently, strawberries marinated in woodruff until they turn into clear red juice make a  fantastic dessert soup - probably a strange concept on this green little island. Kaltschale is not that unusual as a pudding in Germany, nor would it be in Scandinavia or Holland, I daresay. I can't talk for the French, but I do know that they call  woodruff "aspérule odorante" or "reine des bois",  Queen of the Wood. Whereas the Dutch refer to the haybed of Maria: 'Onze Lieve Vrouwe Bedstro'.(I do not recall where I found these bits of information...sorry).

Summer is a-comin' today

The Temperance Horse

Summer is a-comin' is the "powerful" May song which dominates the May Day celebrations in Padstow, Cornwall. The Padstow Hobby Horse ('Obby 'Oss') festival takes place every year to drive out winter and welcome in spring. The originally pagan celebration (Beltane) normally (see below) starts on the eve of April 30th and proceeds for the duration of May Day. This kind of tradition is said to go back to at least the 16th century (cf here), and in Padstow, there is the 'Old 'Oss', and, since the late 19th century, its rival, called the 'Blue Ribbon Horse', or 'The Temperance Horse', and more recently 'Peace Horse'.
The temperance movement was "...trying to discourage the consumption of alcohol associated with the "old" 'oss followers. After the first world war the imperative of temperance was lost, and the 'oss became known as the Peace 'Oss. Each 'oss has a "stable" (in the case of the Old 'Oss, the Golden Lion Inn and the Blue Ribbon 'Oss, the Institute), from which they emerge at the start of the day's proceedings and retire at the end. Some time in the late afternoon the 'osses may meet at the maypole and dance together" (quoted from here).
Either horse is led by a teaser who carries a stick or a club, and followed by their supporters, dressed in white and their appropriate colour, red or blue, dancing and generally making a racket with accordions and drums. (See here and here for more descriptions and the song lyrics).

The photograph above, of the Blue 'Oss, was taken a couple of years ago, when, much to our annoyance, the festivities weren't held on May 1st, because it fell on a Sunday. Luckily, we were staying closeby, at Sandymouth, and were able to come back later. My BH, already miffed that his birthday isn't celebrated in style in the UK anyway - half the world (1) celebrate May 1st in its modern day re-incarnation as Labour Day, or International Workers' Day - later had the chance to bemoan the fact that moving a festival, which is essentially pagan, was if nothing else farcical, when he was interviewed by local radio. (They swiftly moved on, and we don't think they broadcast it!)

Right, we didn't dance with witches on the Blocksberg (2) or into May (3) last night, we didn't go all orange for Koninginnedag (4) (like we did last year in Amsterdam), and neither did we 'bring in the may' (hawthorne, sycamore, rowan or mountain ash') this morning, bathed our faces in dew, or danced around a maypole, but we did listen to the Padstow May song!

Happy May Day, wherever you are and whatever it means to you!

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(1) 80 countries, according the Wikipedia
(2) Blocksberg = Brocken = the mountain, where, according to legends, the witches congregate for WALPURGISNACHT.
(3) Tanz in den Mai = dancing into May; still popular in Germany, I believe
(4) = Queen's Day in the Netherlands, a huge festival, when everything in Amsterdam seems to be painted Orange!