Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert
Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert (born November 22, 1796 in Groß Walditz, near Löwenberg , Silesia, † September 13, 1870 in Ciudad Bolívar ) was the inventor of the bitter liqueur Angostura .
Life
He studied medicine in Berlin. At a young age, Siegert fought on the side of Prussia in the Napoleonic wars under Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher near Waterloo (1815), most recently as a medical officer. Siegert achieved an important rank in the Prussian army. In peacetime (1820) he made his way to Venezuela .
Wars of Independence in South America
In the north of South America the separatists fought against the Spanish crown under the leadership of Simón Bolívar . Siegert joined the troops of Bolívar. Siegert's experience and talent led directly to his appointment as General Staff Physician at the Guiana Military Hospital. While "there is a well-documented history of British support and help from French officers, we know next to nothing about the help Germany gave us in the war against Spain". "The reports about the sons of generous and noble Germany who also fought for freedom in South America are scant", complained César García Rosell in Lima in the early 1960s. Indeed, most of the German legionnaires' tracks in South America are lost. In the presumably most extensive list of volunteers from the German countries of the early 19th century in the Bolívar army, by Günter Kahle from 1980, the name of the Angostura bitter inventor Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert is missing. Of the likely 6,000 European legionnaires, around 300 were Germans. Of all Europeans, only 150 survived the fighting, poor food and illnesses such as cholera , typhus or dengue fever . “The legionaries had dreamed of a Dorado”, but they found an Angostura that “consisted of clay barracks or brick huts. The bush began immediately behind it ”. The fields were neglected. “ Malaria , smallpox and yellow fever were around.” “Food was scarce and indigestible for European stomachs.” Says Gerhard Masur, Bolívar's biographer of German origin. "Now paradise [...] was padded with plenty of hell," explains Peter-Paul Zahl, from Freiburg , who emigrated to Jamaica in 1985.
In 1821 Bolívar left Angostura westward, Siegert stayed in the city in the rainforest.
tonic
In Angostura, Siegert began research on tropical herbs from South America. After four years, the formula for a herbal tonic was mature. In his private practice in the city on the banks of the Orinoco River , he successfully used the formula on European patients suffering from tropical diseases. The inventor called his tonic “Dr. Siegert's aromatic bitter "or" amargos aromáticos ". Siegert's services quickly found recognition among his colleagues.
Sailors mixed Angostura with gin and brought it to their homeland. European mercenaries and sailors made the tonic known all over the world. As his invention grew in popularity, Siegert gave his tonic a new name. He chose the name of the city in which he lived: "Angostura aromatic bitter". Siegert gave up his profession as a doctor and devoted himself entirely to the manufacture of his medicine. In 1850 he started exporting to Trinidad and England. He died in 1870.
Inherit
After Simón Bolívar resigned from the office of president, Venezuela was shaken by constant unrest and revolutions. It became impossible for Siegert's sons to continue their business in Venezuela.
In 1875 they emigrated to Trinidad and rebuilt the company. Since then it has been based in Port of Spain . In 1802, Spain had officially ceded the island of Trinidad to England. The political situation on the island was calm.
literature
- Kahle, Günter: Simón Bolívar in contemporary German reports . Dietrich Reiner Verlag
- Kahle, Günter: Simón Bolívar and the Germans . Dietrich Reiner Verlag
- Number, Peter-Paul : Secrets of the Caribbean Cuisine . Rotbuch Verlag
- o. V .: Questions about German history . German Bundestag (ed.)
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Siegert, Johann Gottlieb Benjamin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Doctor and inventor of the Angostura bitter liqueur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 22, 1796 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Silesia |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 13, 1870 |
| Place of death | Ciudad Bolívar , Venezuela |