Scrumpy is a type of

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...

originating in the West of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, particularly the West Country. Traditionally, the dialect term "scrumpy" was used to refer to what was otherwise called "rough", a harsh cider made from unselected apples.Leeds, W. ''Herefordshire Speech: The South-West Midlands Dialect As Spoken in Herefordshire and Its Environs'', 1985, p.95 Today the term is more often used to distinguish locally made ciders produced in smaller quantities and using traditional methods, from mass-produced

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

ed ciders.

Etymology

Various origins of the name ''scrumpy'' have been proposed. The ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'', which finds the term first used in 1904, derives it from the noun ''scrump'', meaning "something withered or dried up", not specifically apples. Other claimed derivations include a noun ''scrimp'' with the same meaning, derived from a verb ''scrump'', meaning "to steal fruit". Neither of these meanings is attested in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', and the '' English Dialect Dictionary'' confirms the existence of the word ''scrump'' applied to "anything small or undersized", particularly apples, and notes a related word ''scrumpling'' for a small apple.Wright (ed)''English Dialect Dictionary'', 1961, p.291History & Antiquities of Horsham, Doreathea E Hurst, Francombe & Co, Lewes (1868), (1889) 2nd ed page 266 describes a scrumpling as a small, ill shaped apple It can be applied to basic homemade ciders as well as to commercially produced and marketed varieties. In 1997 a legal case on trademark law was fought in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

between Symonds and Showerings (Ireland), in which the defendant successfully argued that "scrumpy" was a part of the "commonage" of the language, being a generic term referring to rough dry farmhouse cider.Byrne (ed). ''Annual Review of Irish Law 1997'', p.774

Production

Traditional "rough" was invariably fermented out to absolute dryness, with a strong, full bodied character but no distinguishable apple flavour: in 19th century

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

"rough" was much preferred for home consumption, while sweeter, less alcoholic cider was produced for an 'export' market outside the county.Shapter, ''The Climate of the South of Devon'', 1842, pp.223-4 "Rough" was known as the customary drink of farm labourers in the west of England, who would generally receive up to a

quart The quart (symbol: qt) is a unit of volume equal to a quarter of a gallon. Three kinds of quarts are currently used: the liquid quart and dry quart of the US customary system and the of the British imperial system. All are roughly equal ...

() daily as an incentive on top of their wages. Modern scrumpy can be dry or sweet, and is usually still rather than carbonated, but may have some degree of carbonation. However, it tends to be stronger in

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

and more tannic than most commercial ciders. Due to its traditional methods of production, it is usually very pulpy, and resultantly often cloudy in appearance. It is produced by pulping and pressing a quantity of apples, and then adding the juice to a vessel with a special lid to ensure the pressure does not rise too much. It may be necessary to add a Campden tablet to prevent undesirable bacterial action, and the vessel must be sanitized. The vessels are sealed and left to ferment for a few months.

Other uses

As well as scrumpy made with apples, there also exists pear scrumpy, similar to

perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

. Scrumpy and Western describes a kind of music from the West Country, where scrumpy is traditionally produced, typified by The Wurzels. File:Jks scrumpy hard cider.jpg, A bottle of 6.0% Abv, organic scrumpy from the USA. File:Somerset scrumpy.jpg, A gallon of Parson's Choice

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

scrumpy.

References

{{reflist Somerset ciders English ciders West Country