A honey-sweetened, long-aged form of makhsyma: millet wort fermented with wax honey, sealed and matured for months into a rich Circassian mead.
Meremezhey (Circassian Honey Mead)
Ingredients
Method
- Make a makhsyma wort: knead the millet flour into a dough, bake it as a flatbread, then crumble it.
- Mix the crumbs with the water and a little wheat flour, and cook gently to a thin wort.
- Cool to lukewarm, then stir in the leaven or malt and let it begin to ferment.
- As it nears readiness, stir in the wax honey.
- Seal the pot or barrel airtight.
- Ferment and age in a cool place for 6 months to a year.
- Strain before serving, cool.
This is the recipe from the Recipes section of the Circassian app, where you can also scale it and save it to your favourites.
Kitchen words in Circassian
The words for what is in this dish, in Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian), with audio from the Circassian app’s lessons and audio course.
| English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| honey | фоfo | шъоуshow |
| bread | щIакхъуэshch'akkhwe | хьалыгъуhaləghu |
| water | псыpsy | псыpsə |
| food | шхынshkhyn | шхыныshkhənə |
| delicious | IэфI'ef' | IэшIу'eshIu |
| This is delicious! | Мыр IэфIщ!Myr 'ef'shch! | Мыр IэшIу!Myr 'esh'u! |
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Meremezhey: questions
How long does it take to make Meremezhey?
About 40 minutes, according to the recipe in the Circassian app.
How many people does this Meremezhey recipe serve?
It serves 10. The servings control above the ingredients recalculates every quantity for 1 to 40 people.
What is Meremezhey made of?
The ingredients are: 2 cups millet flour; 8 cups water; 2 tbsp bread leaven or malt; 1 cup wax honey (honeycomb cappings), or honey.
Is Meremezhey an everyday or a festive dish?
The Circassian app files it as a ceremonial dish (Sweets & Drinks).
Where does this Meremezhey recipe come from?
From the Recipes section of the Circassian app. The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
Sources
- Circassian app, Recipes section, recipe “Meremezhey (Circassian Honey Mead)” (recipe data last changed July 2026). The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
- Circassian app: audio course, Kabardian and Adyghe (the kitchen words: cheese, meat, milk, bread, tea, water, food, delicious), and the lessons’ vocabulary (chicken, salt, butter, honey).
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