Gramatka and Butterbeer: What Do Sigismund I and Harry Potter Have in Common?
A historical study of gramatka, English Buttered Beere and European beer soups. Sixteenth- to nineteenth-century recipes, Sigismund I, Harry Potter, spices in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and an original reconstruction of a hot beer drink.
Have you ever wondered whether Sigismund I the Old, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, might have enjoyed the same kind of drink as Harry Potter, the young wizard from J. K. Rowling’s novels?
At first glance, the connection between a historical figure associated with Belarusian history and a fictional character seems impossible. But let us take a closer look.
J. K. Rowling’s Butterbeer
Relatively little is known about the Butterbeer enjoyed by Harry Potter and his friends in the pubs of Hogsmeade. The drink is mentioned repeatedly throughout the Harry Potter books, but some of the most detailed descriptions appear in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, published by Bloomsbury Publishing in 1999.
It is in this third book of the series that the magical drink’s properties and characteristics are described in particular detail.
Chapter 8. “Flight of the Fat Lady”
“…in the Three Broomsticks over mugs of hot, foaming Butterbeer… It’s a pity we couldn’t bring you any Butterbeer. It really warms you up…”
Chapter 10. “The Marauder’s Map”
“…Ron returned five minutes later carrying three foaming tankards of hot Butterbeer…”
Chapter 22. “Owl Post Again”
“…He quickly scanned the letter and suddenly felt as warm and comfortable as though he had swallowed a whole bottle of hot Butterbeer in one gulp…”
Alongside these descriptions of flavour and serving style, the books also contain several indirect clues suggesting that Butterbeer may be mildly alcoholic.
The Pub Atmosphere of the Three Broomsticks
In Chapter 10, Ron suggests that Harry visit the Three Broomsticks, where the characters order hot Butterbeer with a thick head of foam — foaming tankards.
The warm, noisy and smoky atmosphere of the pub, together with the mention of rowdy warlocks at the bar, creates a recognisably tavern-like setting.
“Harry took a great gulp. It was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted and seemed to heat every bit of him from the inside.”
This “warming effect” is often associated with drinks containing a small amount of alcohol, while the thick foamy head visually resembles ordinary beer.
Chapter 12. “The Patronus”
In this part of the book, Professor Lupin brings Harry some Butterbeer. Harry happily admits that he has already tried the drink, which appears to make the teacher slightly suspicious.
“Lupin… still looked slightly suspicious: how had a student become familiar with such a drink?”
The toast — “Let’s drink to a Gryffindor victory!” — and Harry’s embarrassed reaction suggest that Butterbeer is not treated purely as a children’s drink, even though it is not explicitly called alcoholic in this passage.
What Do We Know About Butterbeer?
Taken together, the literary clues create the following picture:
- the drink is called Butterbeer;
- it is served hot;
- it has a pronounced foamy head;
- it produces a warming effect;
- it probably contains a small amount of alcohol;
- it has a sweet and rich flavour profile.
What Does Butterbeer Taste Like?
In the January 2002 issue of the American food magazine Bon Appétit, J. K. Rowling was asked what she imagined Butterbeer to taste like.
She replied:
“I imagine it to taste a little bit like less sickly butterscotch.”
But how can a butterscotch-like flavour and aroma be created?
From the perspective of food chemistry and technology, heating sugar together with butter produces complex chemical transformations: changes in carbohydrates and fats, the formation of new aromatic compounds, and the development of characteristic caramel and toffee-like notes.
One authoritative work dealing with these processes is Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. McGee discusses in detail the processes that occur when sugar, butter and dairy products are heated.
Further scientific background can be found in W. P. Edwards’s The Science of Sugar Confectionery, which examines in detail the technological processes involved in the production of toffee and other caramel-based confectionery.
Interim Conclusion
J. K. Rowling’s Butterbeer can therefore be described as:
- a hot drink;
- with a thick head of foam;
- containing a small amount of alcohol;
- with a pronounced buttery, butterscotch-like character;
- with butter and sugar potentially playing a key role in its flavour profile.
Buttered Beere in the Tudor Era
A drink known as Buttered Beere really did exist in English culinary history.
One of its early descriptions appears in The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin, published in 1594.
According to the recipe, the drink was made from:
- beer;
- egg yolks;
- cane sugar;
- butter;
- nutmeg;
- ginger;
- cloves.
The ingredients were heated and mixed together to create a rich hot drink.
Robert May and Seventeenth-Century Buttered Beer
The recipe developed further in chef Robert May’s The Accomplisht Cook, or, The Art & Mystery of Cookery, published in 1671.
One version includes grated bread or breadcrumbs. These would have had little effect on the drink’s main aroma, but they made an already calorie-rich beverage even more filling.
Experimental Reconstruction
After carrying out a series of experimental preparations of Buttered Beere based on the 1594 recipe, we obtained a hot, mildly alcoholic drink displaying the same principal characteristics associated with the literary Butterbeer:
- a pronounced butterscotch flavour;
- a thick foamy head;
- hot serving temperature;
- a small amount of alcohol.
This similarity suggests that historical Tudor-era Buttered Beere may have been a close prototype for the drink described in the Harry Potter novels.
At the same time, J. K. Rowling stressed in the January 2002 issue of Bon Appétit that Butterbeer was her own invention.
By that time, the author had already faced accusations of borrowing elements from other works, most notably from Nancy Stouffer. The article therefore raises the possibility that Rowling’s emphasis on Butterbeer’s originality may have been connected with a desire to distance herself from such accusations.
Historical sources, however, show that drinks called Buttered Beer existed long before the Harry Potter books appeared.
Gramatka: The Drink of Sigismund I
Gramatka was more than simply a drink or dish. It formed part of the cultural heritage of Belarus, Lithuania and Poland, with roots reaching back to the era of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
It was consumed among the nobility and held a visible place in older food culture.
Gramatka as Food and a Medicinal Drink
An interesting example appears in a 1778 description of the church in the village of Vaniužyčy, Mazyr County.
The document, which records miracles associated with a local miraculous icon, tells the story of an elderly woman named Bianiecka who became seriously ill and for a long period consumed almost no food.
According to the record, she drank only a small cup of warmed beer with sour cream each day.
From Gramatka to Coffee
Preparing gramatka required relatively expensive ingredients and spices. Cane sugar was among them and, at the time, was itself regarded as an expensive imported product.
For this reason, the drink was primarily available to wealthier social groups.
For a long time, gramatka served as a warming and stimulating morning drink — in a sense, a predecessor to coffee.
As coffee culture spread, this gradually changed. With the appearance of coffee houses throughout the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, coffee began to displace the older tradition of hot beer-based breakfasts.
Pan Tadeusz: Coffee and Hot Beer
Adam Mickiewicz, in Pan Tadeusz, describes a period in which coffee was already becoming popular while hot beer still remained part of everyday food culture:
“The elderly ladies, rising early,
drank coffee, and then prepared another dish for themselves:
hot beer whitened with sour cream and butter,
in which pieces of curd floated.”
Early Descriptions of Gramatka
Important information about gramatka was recorded by Polish historians and researchers Tomasz Święcki and Zygmunt Gloger.
In 1816, in Opis starożytnéy Polski, Tomasz Święcki referred to Bernard O’Connor, the English physician of King John III Sobieski, and his 1698 work The History of Poland:
“In the mornings men and women usually drink a beverage made from beer with ginger, sugar and egg yolk.”
Here we can already see direct parallels with Tudor Buttered Beere: the same basic ingredients and spices appear.
Were Sugar and Spices Available in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania?
To understand the recipe, an important question must be asked: could sugar, ginger and other imported spices actually have been used on the territory of present-day Belarus in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?
Sources on material culture indicate that they could.
L. A. Molchanova
In Очерки материальной культуры белорусов XVI–XVIII стст., information is provided about a wide range of imported spices:
“The nobility and townspeople used various spices: pepper, mustard, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, cardamom and others. Spices were imported into Belarus through Poland…”
Separate evidence is also given for purchases of sugar, pepper, ginger, raisins, saffron and almonds for noble and urban households.
Y. Bokhan and A. Skep’yan
The study Побыт феадалаў Вялікага Княства Літоўскага ў XV — сярэдзіне XVII стагоддзя cites records from the Polatsk customs office for 1616:
“…beer, mead, olives, pepper, cloves, nuts, figs, almonds, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, caraway, oranges, rice, sugar.”
The authors also describe the existence of several varieties of sugar and the production of sweets at magnate courts.
Gramatka and Beer Soups in the Nineteenth Century
Nineteenth-century cookbooks contain numerous recipes for gramatka and so-called “beer soups”.
They are very similar in their basic culinary technique, but differ in the spices and additional ingredients used.
Zygmunt Gloger on Gramatka
In Encyklopedia staropolska ilustrowana, Zygmunt Gloger writes:
“Gramatka is a thick broth made from beer and grated bread, which stood on Polish tables during fasting days for centuries. Syrenius teaches how to prepare gramatka and other broths: ‘Bread remnants should be boiled in beer with sugar, butter, egg yolks and a little wild caraway for flavour — and thus gramatka is made.’”
Variations in spices — caraway, cinnamon, nutmeg and others — may have depended on regional traditions and the availability of expensive imported ingredients.
Gramatka and Buttered Beere: Comparing the Recipes
When the historical recipes are compared, their foundations appear remarkably similar.
Shared Ingredients
- beer;
- butter;
- egg yolks;
- cane sugar;
- ginger.
Gramatka could additionally contain caraway or cinnamon, while Tudor Buttered Beere used nutmeg.
This similarity allows gramatka and Buttered Beere to be viewed as very closely related historical drinks, differing mainly in details of composition and the spices used.
Sigismund I and Gramatka
Zygmunt Gloger, referring to Adolf Pawiński and his work Źródła dziejowe, noted:
“The household records of Sigismund I from the fifteenth century, when he was still a prince, show that on fasting days he usually ate gramatka for breakfast.”
According to this account, Sigismund I the Old, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland and grandson of Jogaila, was indeed familiar with gramatka and consumed it for breakfast.
There is also a legend that in 1518, after his marriage to Bona Sforza, gramatka was served to the young queen after their first wedding night — as one of her first introductions to the cuisine of her new homeland.
Harry Potter and Sigismund I — the Same Drink?
Tudor Buttered Beere and gramatka therefore share an exceptionally similar recipe base.
If historical Buttered Beere did indeed become a prototype for J. K. Rowling’s literary Butterbeer, an intriguing culinary parallel emerges:
Sigismund I and Harry Potter may have consumed essentially the same type of drink — hot beer with eggs, sugar, butter and spices.
Beer Soup: The Ancestor of Gramatka and Butterbeer
The German tradition of beer soup — Biersuppe — deserves separate consideration.
The combination of beer with egg yolks, butter, bread and spices was widely known in German cuisine. Recipes closely resembling gramatka and Buttered Beere appear as early as Marx Rumpolt’s Ein new Kochbuch, published in 1581.
Different beer soups included:
- beer;
- bread;
- eggs;
- butter;
- sugar;
- spices.
In terms of consistency, they were often less like “soup” in the modern sense and more like a filling hot drink or liquid breakfast.
Documents from German courts in the early eighteenth century mention beer and bread as an early morning meal. The article also considers a possible phonetic similarity between the German Früh and one of the alternative names for gramatka — “faramuszka”.
Similar hot beer drinks are also known to have been consumed at the English court.
The popularity of Biersuppe in Germany remained strong for a very long time. In Henriette Davidis’ Practical Cook Book of 1897, Henriette Davidis includes an entire section containing 11 recipes for wine and beer soups.
Within the hypothesis proposed here, the German beer-soup tradition may have been one of the foundations from which both gramatka and English Buttered Beere developed in different regions of Europe.
How to Make Gramatka
After studying historical descriptions and conducting my own culinary experiments, I propose the following adapted recipe for gramatka.
This is not an attempt to reproduce one specific historical text word for word, but rather a practical version of the drink combining characteristic ingredients and techniques found in the recipes discussed above.
Ingredients for 1–2 Servings
- Beer — about 500 ml. Preferably dark, amber, or a special seasonal or Christmas beer.
- Butter — 30 g.
- Cane sugar — 50 g.
- Egg yolk — 1.
- Fresh ginger — about 2 teaspoons, grated.
- Nutmeg — about 1 level teaspoon.
- Cloves — 2–4 buds, approximately 0.3 g.
- Caraway or cinnamon — to taste, depending on the desired aromatic profile.
1. Prepare the Egg-and-Sugar Base
In a small bowl, mix the cane sugar with the egg yolk until smooth and slightly creamy.
The mixture should become smooth, with almost no noticeable sugar crystals, and should resemble mustard in colour.
2. Prepare the Spices
Grate or finely chop the ginger and nutmeg and prepare the cloves.
If you want a more traditional gramatka profile, add caraway. For a more pronounced spiced character, use cinnamon instead of caraway or together with it.
3. Heat the Beer with the Spices
Pour the beer into a small saucepan.
Add:
- ginger;
- nutmeg;
- cloves;
- caraway or cinnamon.
Heat slowly over medium heat, bringing the drink to a gentle boil.
Alcohol-Free Version
If you want to reduce the alcohol content, the original version of this reconstruction suggests boiling the beer for approximately 30–35 minutes.
4. Strain the Beer
Once the beer has come to the boil, remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the contents through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
This removes the spice particles and leaves a clean, strongly flavoured beer base.
5. Temper the Egg Yolk
Pour a small amount of the hot spiced beer into a separate bowl.
Slowly add the egg-and-sugar mixture while stirring continuously. This gradually warms the yolk and reduces the risk of curdling.
Once the mixture is smooth, pour it back into the saucepan in a thin stream while stirring gently.
6. Add the Butter
Return the saucepan to low heat and immediately add the butter.
Stir continuously until the butter has completely melted.
The gramatka will gradually develop its characteristic rich, creamy texture.
7. Serve Hot
Serve the finished gramatka warm or hot in heat-resistant mugs.
If desired, dust the surface with:
- cinnamon;
- freshly grated nutmeg.
Gramatka is best consumed immediately after preparation, when its rich aroma, creamy texture and warming character are at their most pronounced.
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ↗ — J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, 1999
The third novel in the Harry Potter series, first published by Bloomsbury in 1999. It is one of the principal literary sources for studying the fictional drink Butterbeer: the book repeatedly describes its serving, temperature, foam, and warming effect. These references allow the literary depiction of Butterbeer to be compared with historical hot beer-based drinks.
- Harry Potter’s butterbeer recipe uncovered ↗ — Fox News, Fox News, 2010
A Fox News publication about Butterbeer from J. K. Rowling’s works and its recreation for the Harry Potter theme park. The article reports Rowling’s description of the drink as tasting similar to a less-sweet butterscotch. It is useful for studying the intended flavour profile of the fictional Butterbeer.
- On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen — Harold McGee, Scribner, 2004
Harold McGee’s scientific study of the chemistry and physics of food and the processes involved in cooking. For research into historical beer-based drinks, the book is useful for explaining transformations in sugar and dairy products during heating and the development of caramel- and butterscotch-like flavour and aroma characteristics.
- The Science of Sugar Confectionery ↗ — W. P. Edwards, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2000
A specialist work by W. P. Edwards on the scientific and technological principles of sugar confectionery. It examines the properties of sugars and the processes used to manufacture various confectionery products, including toffee and caramel. For research into historical Butterbeer, it is useful for analysing the origin of the drink’s characteristic butterscotch and caramel flavour profile.
- The good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin ↗ — Anon, Richard Iones, 1594
An anonymous English cookery book published in London in 1594. It contains a recipe entitled “To make Buttered Beere”, a hot drink made with beer, egg yolks, sugar, butter, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. It is an important primary source for the study of English buttered beer in the early modern period.
- The accomplisht cook, or The art and mystery of cookery ↗ — Robert May, N. Brooke, 1671
An English cookery book by Robert May, represented here by its third edition of 1671. It contains several preparations for Buttered Beer and other dishes and drinks based on beer or ale with eggs, butter and spices. The source helps trace the development of hot beer preparations in seventeenth-century England.
- Scholastic Rebuffs Potter Infringement Charges ↗ — Jim Milliot; Steven Zeitchik, Publishers Weekly, 2002
A report in the publishing trade magazine Publishers Weekly on the conclusion of the legal dispute involving Nancy Stouffer, J. K. Rowling, Scholastic and Time Warner. It describes Stouffer’s claims concerning the use of the term “Muggles” and other alleged similarities with her works, as well as the September 2002 decision of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The source provides historical context for the dispute over the authorship and origins of certain elements associated with the Harry Potter universe.
- Scholastic, Inc. v. Stouffer, 221 F. Supp. 2d 425 (S.D.N.Y. 2002) ↗ — United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Justia, 2002
A decision of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in the dispute involving Scholastic, J. K. Rowling and Time Warner on one side and Nancy Stouffer on the other. It is a primary legal source for the parties’ claims, copyright and trademark issues, and the outcome of the litigation concerning the Harry Potter works.
- Pan Tadeusz czyli ostatni zajazd na Litwie. Historja szlachecka z r. 1811 i 1812, we dwunastu księgach, wierszem ↗ — Adam Mickiewicz, Alexander Jełowicki, 1834
The first edition of Adam Mickiewicz’s poem Pan Tadeusz, published in Paris in 1834. In the breakfast scene in Book II, hot beer whitened with cream and served with curd is described alongside coffee. The literary source is valuable for studying representations of hot beer-based foods and drinks in the domestic culture of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- Opis starożytnéy Polski. T. 1 ↗ — Tomasz Święcki, Zawadzki i Węcki, 1816
A historical and descriptive work by Tomasz Święcki on old Poland, published in Warsaw in 1816. It mentions a morning beer broth seasoned with sugar, ginger and egg yolk. The source is valuable for studying domestic traditions of hot beer-based dishes and their representation in early nineteenth-century Polish historical literature.
- Kucharka polska miejska i wiejska, zawierająca kilka set przepisów kucharskich ↗ — T. Wiśniewski, J. Chociszewski, 1879
A nineteenth-century Polish urban and rural cookbook containing several hundred recipes for everyday dishes. The edition is useful for studying domestic cooking, culinary terminology, and the tradition of soups and other beer-based preparations in nineteenth-century Polish food culture.
- Praktyczna kucharka. Przepisy praktyczne i tanie przyrządzania wszelkich potraw, mięsiw, ryb, wędlin, sosów, zup, jarzyn oraz ciast zwykłych i wielkanocnych, soków, konfitur, galaret, tortów, lodów i t.d. ↗ — Anon, Fr. Chocieszyński, 1886
A Polish practical cookbook published in Poznań in 1886 as a second edition. It contains recipes for everyday cooking, including soups, meat and fish dishes, sauces, vegetables, baked goods, sweets and drinks. The book is relevant to the study of nineteenth-century Polish culinary traditions and beer-based dishes, helping to document the continued presence of beer soups in domestic cookery of the period.
- Ein new Kochbuch ↗ — Marx Rumpolt, Marx Rumpolt und Sigmund Feyerabend, 1581
A German cookery book by Marx Rumpolt, published in Frankfurt am Main in 1581. It contains several recipes for beer soups using eggs, butter, bread, caraway and other ingredients. It is an early European primary source for the comparative study of hot beer-based dishes.
- Bon Appétit — Anon, Condé Nast, 2002
An issue of the American food magazine Bon Appétit from 2002 in which, according to later publications, J. K. Rowling answered a question about the intended flavour of Butterbeer. The exact article title and author have not yet been verified from the original issue.
- Encyklopedja staropolska ilustrowana ↗ — Zygmunt Gloger, P. Laskauer i W. Babicki, 1900–1903
Zygmunt Gloger’s illustrated encyclopedia of Old Polish culture, published in Warsaw between 1900 and 1903. Its entry “Gramatka” discusses names and methods for preparing a thick dish based on beer or wine and bread and cites information from earlier sources. It is an important secondary source for the terminology and history of gramatka.
- Henriette Davidis' practical cook book ↗ — Henriette Davidis, H. H. Zahn & Co., 1897
An English-language American edition of Henriette Davidis’s cookbook, compiled from the thirty-fifth German edition and published in Milwaukee in 1897. It documents German and European domestic cookery and is useful for comparative research into nineteenth-century beer soups and other beer-based dishes.
- З вяршкамі і за чытаннем навін. Нашы продкі пілі каву па-еўрапейску — Кірыл Карлюк, Наша гісторыя, 2021
An article by Кірыл Карлюк published in the Belarusian history magazine Наша гісторыя, issue No. 11 (40), 2021, devoted to the history of coffee consumption and associated domestic customs. It is relevant to research into changes in breakfast drinks and food culture in the Belarusian lands. The full contents of the article still require verification against the original issue.
- The History of Poland: In Several Letters to Persons of Quality ↗ — Bernard Connor, J.D., 1698
An English-language historical and geographical account of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by Bernard Connor, published in London in 1698. The work covers the country’s history, geography, political institutions, society and customs. It is valuable as a late seventeenth-century source for research into everyday culture and food practices in the Commonwealth.
- Описание церкви деревни Ванюжичи Мозырьского павета за 1778 год — Нацыянальны гістарычны архіў Беларусі, 1778
An archival description of the church in the village of Vaniužyčy in Mazyr County dating from 1778, preserved in the National Historical Archives of Belarus. The document contains information on the local church, religious life, and related eighteenth-century accounts. For research into food history and beer culture, it is particularly relevant for its reference to warmed beer with sour cream being consumed as food and drink during a prolonged illness. National Historical Archives of Belarus, fond 136, inventory 1, file 41240, fol. 67v. Reference to a woman who, during a prolonged illness, consumed a small cup of warmed beer with sour cream daily.