''Kümmel'', ''kummel'' or ''kimmel'' (), is a sweet, colourless

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...

flavoured with

caraway Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Etymology The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been ...

(, ) seeds,

cumin Cumin (, ; ; ''Cuminum cyminum'') is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole ...

and

fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

. Kümmel was first distilled in the Netherlands in the late 17th century; by 1823 the product had been adopted in the German lands (Germany would become the principal producer and market), and in then Russian-ruled Latvia, becoming known in many markets as "Blanckenhagen-Allasch" from its Latvian connections. Eastern Europe became the principal producer and market of kümmel.

History

Origin

The earliest known kümmel recipe, attributed to a knight of the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after thei ...

, dates from 1503. Some accounts record the legend that

Lucas Bols Lucas Bols N.V. is a Dutch public company in the business of production, distribution, sales and marketing of alcoholic beverages. It claims to be the oldest distillery brand in the world. Its brand portfolio consists of Bols, Galliano, Vacca ...

(1652-1719) first distilled ''kümmel'' liqueur in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

in 1575 - three quarters of a century before he was born.

Spread

Persistent stories associate the popularity of kümmel () in Russia with the tastes of a man with a reputation for imbibing: Tsar

Peter I of Russia Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned jointly with his half-brother Ivan V until 1696. From this year, ...

. Whether or not Peter I () first introduced kümmel to Russia, he does receive credit for organising its production there.

19th century

Kümmel's popularity grew in the early 19th century. being produced by 1823 ''Allasch'' is a variety of Kümmel; it is also a

of around 40%

ABV Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest of the solution, ...

, usually flavoured with bitter

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, ...

angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 90 species of tall Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous, herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as ...

root and

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

peel. Invented in 1823 in Allasch,

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire, Baltic Governorate-General until 1876. Governorate of Livonia bordered Governorate of E ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(now in

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

), and produced by Wilhelm von Blanckenhagen (1761–1840), who owned land around Allasch which included a pure and reliable water source, it was widely popular and produced there until 1944 when the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

re-occupied Latvia and expelled

ethnic Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The constitution of Germany, implemented in 1949 following the end of World War ...

from the region. In 1830, ''Allasch'' was exhibited at the

Leipzig Trade Fair The Leipzig Trade Fair () is a major trade fair, which traces its roots back for nearly a millennium. After the Second World War, Leipzig fell within the territory of East Germany, whereupon the Leipzig Trade Fair became one of the most importan ...

and quickly gained popularity, being soon produced by local distilleries. It is now considered a

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

specialty, usually drunk as a digestif, although there are also manufacturers outside Leipzig. Albert Wolfschmidt founded a distillery in Riga in 1847, producing vodka and schnapps, including kümmel and

Riga Black Balsam Riga Black Balsam () is a traditional Latvian balsam (drink), balsam often considered to be the national drink of Latvia. According to tradition, only the Head Liquor Master and two of his apprentices know the exact recipe. Nowadays, Riga Black B ...

. In the mid-19th Century, ''kümmel'' was the rival of gin. Being made with caraway rather than juniper, it had the advantage that caraway has a calmative effect, reducing flatulence and the bloated feeling experienced after a heavy meal. By 1850, this "medicinal" benefit helped Ludwig Mentzendorff create a healthy business importing ''kümmel'' to Britain.

20th century

During the

1905 Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, th ...

, the Blanckenhagen mansion was burned down. The distillery closed, and the entrepreneurial ''Mentzendorffs'' opened up the production of their own kümmel in France. Baltic Germans moved to Germany as tensions between Russia and Germany grew, and several distilleries in Germany produced their own versions of kümmel, where it is still known as ''Allasch'' and is a popular digestif. In Latvia, it is produced by

Latvijas Balzams Amber Latvijas Balzams () is the largest alcoholic beverage producer in the Baltic states headquartered in Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 ...

under the Latvianized name ''Allažu ķimelis''. In Scotland, it is a popular drink at many of the more traditional golf clubs because of its rumored ability to steady the nerves of golfers there, acquiring the nickname of "putting mixture". A charming and evocative scene of drinking kümmel occurs in

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...

's 1980 television miniseries, ''

Berlin Alexanderplatz ''Berlin Alexanderplatz'' () is a 1929 novel by Alfred Döblin. It is considered one of the most important and innovative works of the Weimar culture, Weimar Republic. In a 2002 poll of 100 noted writers, the book was named among the top 100 bo ...

'', where the character Franz Biberkopf speaks in the voices of glasses of kümmel and three beers in a philosophical dialogue as he evaluates the taste and downs each drink in turn.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kummel Herbal liqueurs