University Makes Feast of King Midas
P H I L A D E L P H I A, Sept. 20 -- Science may never producethe nectar of the gods but a team of U.S. archaeologists hasmanaged to recreate the golden grog of the legendary KingMidas.
“King Midas’s Golden Elixir” sparkles like champagne andtastes like hard cider. And it is about as close as the modernworld is likely to get to the brew Midas and his ancientpeople, the Phrygians, made by mixing fermented grape juicewith beer, honey mead, herbs and spices 2,700 years ago incentral Turkey.
Recipe From Funeral Feast
“At first we wondered what kind of terrible beverage thiswould have been,” said University of Pennsylvania archaeologicalchemist Patrick McGovern, sighing with relief after samplingthe golden-hued elixir. “But it’s eminently drinkable.”
With help from a Delaware microbrewer, the university’sMuseum of Archaeology and Anthropology has sought to recreatethe Midas libation from leftovers of the great king’s funeralfeast, which scientists discovered after unearthing his IronAge tomb near Ankara.
“It was like an Irish wake,” explained McGovern, who wasthe project’s senior researcher.
Penn archaeologists have been excavating the site of ancientPhrygian capital Gordion, legendary home of the Gordion knot,since 1950. In 1957, they discovered the wooden tomb of Midascomplete with his skeleton.
Now university officials hope to turn Midas’ famous goldentouch to good use, using the elixir to promote a lavish banquetat the museum featuring his funeral feast’s entree of barbecuedlamb stewed with herbs, lentils, olive oil, honey and wine.
Museum Feast Costs $150
“A Feast Fit for King Midas,” a benefit for Penn’sMolecular Archaeology Program, will kick off an exhibition ofthe tomb’s artifacts on Saturday evening with tickets costingup to $150 a person. Museum caterers are also marketing the“feast” concept to private groups for their functions.
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