Gentian (spirit)

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Gentian schnapps (photo 1932)

The gentian is a spirit from the Alpine region . Various positive effects on health are ascribed to the very aromatic-bitter root brandy, in particular it is a digestif (digestive schnapps).

In Tyrol it is a registered traditional food , and the regional "knowledge of the locations, harvesting and processing" in Paznaun was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in 2013 .

Manufacturing

Dried roots of the yellow gentian
Sale of gentian roots in France

Contrary to popular belief (mostly supported by the images on the labels), this spirit is not made from the flower of the blue gentians , but from the "root" (botanically correct: the rhizome ) of the much larger and therefore more productive yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea) burned. The roots of the purple gentian (Gentiana purpurea) , the Eastern Alpine gentian (Pannonian or Hungarian gentian, Gentiana pannonica ) and the spotted gentian (spotted gentian, Gentiana punctata ) are also used in smaller quantities . The yellow gentian is that of the limestone Alps , the spotted gentian is only found in the crystalline region of the western Alps as far as Tyrol, the purple gentian also prefers lime-free soils, the eastern Alpine gentian is non-calcareous, the latter sharing the distribution from western Switzerland. Therefore, the type of schnapps used - at least in traditional production - is a question of origin. They are also called tall herb gentians because they can all reach a height of over a meter.

In one way or another, all species of gentian suitable for distilling are strictly protected. In the past, the locations were mostly kept secret. In addition, they are easy to confuse with the highly poisonous Germer , the wild collection requires experience. The extraction of roots (gentian prick) from nature is highly regulated today in terms of quantity, which is why specifically cultivated plants are often used for the production of spirits, with only the yellow gentian, which contains the most bitter substances , being cultivated to a significant extent.

On the Feldberg in the Black Forest, however, it has now increased so much that once a year a third of the plants are removed with the help of the mountain forest project and the roots are made available to a local burner. The reason is that the Feldberg is grazed and the yellow gentian, whose voluminous above-ground shoots are spurned by cattle because of their bitter taste, has displaced other forage plants and has become a nuisance on the extensive open land there, with over a million specimens .

Gentian schnapps is a root brandy, so it is distilled from the mash made from the chopped roots . The minimum alcohol content of a gentian schnapps is 37.5  percent by volume . To produce 1 liter, you need about 60 to 70 root stocks.

history

Gathering roots in the Swiss Alps (photo 1932)

The Enzian is certainly one of the ancient medicinal plants (first recorded mention in de Materia Medica of Dioscorides , the 1st century. AD.) The production of Enzianschnaps likely to in the High Middle Ages to go back and is from the 17th century in both the monastic and verifiably in the rural area. The distillery reached its heyday from around 1650 to 1800, but gentian pricking was a serious threat to the population (gentians need up to eight years to first bloom). Already at this time there were bans and regulations, for example in Tyrol in 1694 for Unterinntal and Wipptal, and in 1700 for the whole country the making of schnapps was forbidden, but because of the rampant black distillery it was regulated by grave licenses and taxes in 1747 . Since the 1960s, the respective nature conservation laws have increasingly come into effect, which put gentians under special protection as key and symbolic plants of the Alps.

A report de la Section de physique à la Société vaudoise d'Emulation from 1805 mentions that “in the Pays d'Enhaut romand the liquor is used as a medicine, while the residents of Gessenay (Saanen) and Siebenthal (Simmental) use it as a medicine Use drink. "

A medium-sized distillery usually only produces 100 to 300 liters per year due to the laborious harvest. In terms of price, gentian schnapps is significantly higher than fruit brandy .

use

Like other schnapps, gentian brandy is used in particular as a digestive schnapps . Folk medicine recommends gentian burn for stomach weakness, heartburn, increased hydrochloric acid content in gastric juice, loss of appetite and to stimulate digestion and biliary activity. Gentian roots are considered to promote bile production , stomach and general strengthening, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic , antipyretic and cooling, menstruation-promoting and effective against worm infestation . Gentian brandy contains essential oils, but no bitter substances, as these do not go into the distillate. In contrast, alcoholic gentian root extracts (e.g. bitters , herbal liqueurs ) contain bitter substances. Bitter substances support the phase of gastric juice secretion triggered by sensory stimuli and mediated by the cerebrum ( cephalic phase ). The result is stimulation of the appetite, improvement of digestion in the stomach and the subsequent digestive processes, stimulation of the pancreas and bile secretion.

Traditionally produced gentian schnapps from natural harvest are often offered diluted because of the intensity of the taste and the high price.

Regional

Wild-growing, protected yellow gentian
Field with yellow gentian in France with already ripe fruit clusters

Germany

The oldest gentian distillery in Germany is the Grassl gentian distillery in Berchtesgaden , which can be traced back to 1602.

Austria

In Tyrol , the Enzner is traditionally distilled both from the roots of the yellow gentian and from those of the spotted gentian. It has been included in the register of traditional foods for this federal state and is therefore a public property registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization .

A specialty is the Enzianstecherei in Paznaun. In Galtür , since concessions were granted by the Princely Chamber after 1747 , thirteen families from the community are selected by drawing lots on the Galtürer Kirchtag in September to participate in the harvest. These are closed to the raffle for the next three years, and other families have a chance. There is only a 17,000 hectare area of ​​the spotted gentian that can be harvested, and only on October 1st. 100 kg of roots per family are allowed to be pricked (“clapped”). This regulation makes the Galtürer Enzianbrand (Enzner) a coveted specialty that is consistently not for sale. Knowledge of the locations and harvesting technology is passed on orally within the families. In November 2013, the Austrian UNESCO Commission included this custom of processing techniques as “Knowledge of the locations, harvesting and processing of the dotted gentian” in the register of the national intangible cultural heritage in Austria , in the section “Knowledge and handling practices with the nature". The purpose of this designation is to preserve it as a living and sustainable cultural tradition. In Alpinarium Galtür there is a permanent exhibition on the subject since of 2005.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, gentian schnapps ( eau-de-vie de gentiane ) does not yet enjoy general legal protection, but it has been registered by the Swiss Culinary Heritage Association , specifically for the Massif jurassien and Préalpes regions (cantons of Jura, Neuchâtel, Vaud, Valais), where especially the yellow gentian is used. The earliest evidence from 1796 comes from Neuchâtel . The Vallée de Joux may have been a special center .

See also

Legal sources

  1. ↑ a b Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of January 15, 2008 . Appendix II, 18th gentian (idgF EUR-Lex ).
  2. ^ Ordinance of the FDHA (Federal Department of the Interior) on alcoholic beverages SR 817.022.110, dated November 29, 2013, Appendix 8 Minimum alcohol content of spirits (re Art. 55; as amended online, admin.ch ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l gentian . Entry no. 33 in the register of traditional foods of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Gentian schnapps from Culinary Heritage of Switzerland , accessed on March 21, 2013 (French).
  3. ↑ a b c d e Knowledge of the locations, harvesting and processing of the dotted gentian. Austrian Commission for UNESCO: List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Austria. immaterielleskulturerbe.unesco.at, accessed April 22, 2015.
  4. ↑ Eitel-Friedrich Scholz: The gentian does not only bloom blue. undated, oeav-obergailtal.at.
  5. ↑ Otto Schnekenburger: Good for the cow - and a schnapps with it. Badische Zeitung, September 29, 2019, accessed on September 30, 2019 .
  6. ↑ https://www.badische-zeitung.de/keine-schuetzenswerte-pflanze--176021657.html
  7. ↑ Spirituosen was-wir-essen.de.
  8. ↑ Enzian - effective bitters , PTAheute - Local medicinal plants. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  9. ↑ E. Teuscher: Biogenic Medicines . 5th edition. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft, 1997. ISBN 3-8047-1482-X . P. 228 f.
  10. ↑ a b Cult plant gentian: Galtürer Enzner. ( Memento of the original from April 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. galtuer.gv.at, accessed April 5, 2016.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.galtuer.gv.at
  11. ↑ a b Enzian digging, ravines flooding. Tanja Paar, Christoph Horst, in: Der Standard online, December 7, 2007.