Definition: Chouchen

Breton term for mead. A drink of our Celtic ancestors which, unlike mead, the drink of the Greek gods, made from honey, water and yeast, the chouchen of the Celtic peoples was made from fermented fruit and honey. In Brittany, every farm had a few beehives, and the available ferment was apple juice. Added to the honey and water mixture, it accelerated fermentation. Derived from local traditions, chouchen has no legal status. Today, chouchen is the Breton equivalent of mead and no longer contains apple juice. Formerly with an alcohol content of 18%, modern chouchen is sold at around 12%. Syn.: chufferé in Lower Brittany, chamillard in Upper Brittany. See mead.