Welcome back to Foodistory where we cover the history of all kinds of culinary-related topics This week we find ourselves situated in the German Alps region during the harsh winter season. It’s Sunday, a perfect day to make a long hike through the romantic landscape covered with lakes and Disney-like castles.
The hike starts at sunrise and ends when the sun goes down. When hiking, the body stays warm because of the constant movement. However, during lunch when the body stands still, we face the bare cold wind of the German Alps. Your jacket isn’t thick enough, the warmth that your thermal clothing holds has left, and slowly the coldness gets deep into your bones. We are in desperate need of something that can make us warm while we’re having lunch… Ah yes! A schnapps will do! Not those sweet and sticky English Schnaps. No, we have the real deal, German Schnapps!
What is Schnaps?
While your body is starting to warm up again you begin to wonder; ‘What is this drink of miracles?’ Allow me to explain:
Schnapps (German) or Schnaps (English) is a collective word that refers to ‘any kind of strong, dry spirits.’ Schnapps can be divided into different sorts of schnaps dependent on where you drink the liquor. Since we are situated in the German Alps we’ll start with Europe.
Obstler/Obstbrand is made by fermenting macerating fruits like apples, apricots, cherries, pears, plums, and quinces. Each obstler carries its own name. When a combination of apples and pears is used we call it ‘Obstwasser.’ Only pears make ‘Birnenbrand,’ and plum obstler is called ‘Zwetschgenwasser.’
Geist is created by infusing macerated berries in neutral spirits.
Kräuterlikör is probably the most famous Schnaps variety. Kräuterlikör is created in the same way Obstler is made only the addition of herbals or fruit flavors makes it distinctive. Might sound like something you haven’t drunk before however I bet you have. Famous brands of Kräuterlikör are Underberg, Keummerling, and yes yes, Jägermeister.
The one we’re having for lunch is Underberg because it’s from the German village Rheinberg and probably the most apparent Schnaps you take with you when hiking. Now, you might wonder, where does Schnaps originate from? Again, allow me to explain while your muscles are resting and getting ready for the rest of the hike.
The History of Schnapps
Even though we’re in the German Alps drinking German Schnapps, the liquor doesn’t originate from Germany. We’ll get to our German picks later. Still, the place of origin is not that far from Germany.
Schnapps was born in the hands of the Ancient Romans. They brought the art of fruit cultivation to Austria because the Alps gave perfect conditions to cultivate fruits. In the Alps, you have the perfect combination of cold weather and sunshine to produce fruits high in acidity and aroma. And so, the Romans made the foundation for the Austrians to start making Schnapps.
During Medieval times, the fruit fermented alcohol made its entree. History shows that Schnapps became very popular for its medicinal qualities, just like the Czech Republic’s national drink, Becherovka. With most undistilled water leading to illness, the Austrians began to convert fruits into alcohol.
Because of its medical application, the Schnapps business was booming. The Empress of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Maria Theresa, was the very first to hop on this wave by increasing the tax on cultivating fruits that were assigned for the production of Schnapps.
A little bit later the Empress legalized the production of Schnapps up to 200 liters of distilled alcohol per household annually, farmers were permitted to produce an additional 100 liters. And so, Austrians began to make alcohol from their home-grown fruits and berries or those found growing in the wild. Maria Theresa’s plan was a success in generating income for the state and sparked Austria’s long-standing love of Schnapps.
In the 18th century, the distillation of Schnapps became widespread due to the invention of the copper pot. These pots made the distillation process easy. During harvest season, people transport a communal mobile pot by horse and cart for households to share.
We continue…
Let’s start hiking again before the sun goes down. In the meantime, I’ll tell you how Germany came into play with Schnapps and other stories in order to make the hike more comforting.
It’s a bit uncertain how Schnapps found its way into Germany but most historians guess it happened around the time when Schnapps became famous because of its medicinal uses. Multiple farmers in the German Alp region adopted fruit cultivation into their harvest routine and began making Schnapps.
With the arrival of copper, most distilleries moved to the area of the Black Forest. Nowadays, over 14 000 independent distilleries can be found in and around the Black Forest. The Black Forest stands famous for its natural beauty, the dark gloomy pine tree forest with small winding roads that once inspired many relevant authors and painters.
The combination of the immense number of Schnapps distilleries and the natural wonders of the Black Forest created a unique and questionable tradition. That is, drinking Schnapps while hiking, especially in the winter times! Alcohol and hiking are of course a questionable combination and regarded by many as ‘not done’ since hiking does bring its risks.
From my POV, with a bit of hiking experience, it is no problem to have a Schnapps during lunch when walking relatively easy hikes. And well, the Black Forest doesn’t require great expertise in hiking. The Germans must have thought the same since they invented the genius ‘Schnapps Fountains,’ big wooden boxes you can find along your path which are filled with Schnapps that are cooled by the water from the river next to it. Genius!
And would you look at that! Our hike has ended and it's starting to get dark. Let’s head inside our Gasthof and drink a cold Weizen stange. While we are waiting for our Sauerbraten I will tell you the history of the famous Weizen beer… Just kidding! I’ve told enough for now, maybe next hike!