This recipe was featured on our social media series "Flavors of the Mountain Past." Recipes are from the cookbooks The Carolina Housewife by Sarah Rutledge and Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food by Jim Casada and Tipper Pressley.
We’ve all heard of eggnog as a popular Christmas drink, but have you ever heard of egg wine? Originating from Germany, egg wine, or “eierwein,” is a winter drink, typically served warm at the Christmas markets of Germany and Austria. It can be prepared with sugar, spices, and even custard and cream, similar to eggnog.
If eggs and wine sound like too much of a strange combination, another creamy wine drink popular in southern Appalachia is syllabub. Made with wine and brandy, syllabub first emerged in England in the 16th century. As German and English immigrants settled in western NC, they brought these festive drink recipes with them.
