
Génépi or génépy () is a traditional
herbal liqueur or
apéritif popularized in the Alpine regions. ''Genepi'' also refers to alpine plants of the genus ''
Artemisia'' (commonly called ''wormwood'') that is used to make a liqueur in the French region of
Savoy
Savoy (; ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...
and in the Italian regions of Piedmont and Aosta Valley, where the ''Artemisia'' génépi plants grow and where the beverage is commonly produced.
Génépi liqueur is related to
absinthe
Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavored Liquor, spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. His ...
in that its namesake botanicals are of the genus ''Artemisia'', but like
Chartreuse, it is a liqueur (contains sugar) and traditionally taken neat. Like many European herbal liqueurs, especially those used as
digestifs, the flavor of génépi can be an acquired taste. It is less sweet than many digestifs, and the flavor imparted by the herbs is reminiscent of
chamomile
Chamomile (American English) or camomile (British English; see spelling differences) ( or ) is the common name for several plants of the family Asteraceae. Two of the species, '' Matricaria chamomilla'' and '' Chamaemelum nobile'', are commo ...
or
feverfew. It is naturally light olive to pale gold in color. Cheaper versions may be made bright green through the addition of
food coloring
Food coloring, color additive or colorant is any dye, pigment, or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or beverages. Colorants can be supplied as liquids, powders, gels, or pastes. Food coloring is commonly used in commercia ...
.
Because génépi is produced by steeping the aromatic flowering tops of select ''Artemisia sp.'' in a
clear alcohol, it is not a
spirit liquor such as absinthe and
gin
Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients.
Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...
, which are produced by re-distilling botanicals in alcohol.
Etymology
The word génépi is similar to other European words such as ginepro (Italian), juniper (English), jenever (Dutch), and genièvre (French), from the Latin iuni-pero meaning “evergreen.” It is also associated with the
Savoy
Savoy (; ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...
region.
[Nicola Zingarelli, Vocabolario della lingua italiana, 12ª ed. a cura di Miro Daglioti e Luigi Risiello, Ed. Zanchilelli, Bologna, 1990 ad vocem "Genepì".] The ''Petit Larousse Illustré'' says that génépi "is the generic name of different aromatic plants typical of the Alps". Zingarelli
[ defines the term "genepí" by distinguishing between two meanings. The first refers to the plant, an unspecified member of the genus '' Artemisia'', while the second refers to the beverage resulting from it and from other Alpine plants. The ''Enciclopedia Espasa'' contends that "genippi" is the native Alpine word for a particular group of plants of the genus '' Artemisia'' and lists their names and characteristics.
French writers distinguish between two kinds of génépi: white or female génépi (botanically ''A. mutellina'', also known as ''A. umbelliformis'' or ''A.rupestris'' All., ''A. laxa'' Lamarck and ''A. eriantha'' Tem., among others) and black or male génépi (botanically ''A. genipi'', also known as ''A. spicata'' Baumg. Wulfen ex Jacq. and ''A. rupestris'' Vill., among others).
]
Geographical origins
The wormwoods known as génépi are endemic to the Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
and Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
, but can also be found in other mountainous regions in the western and central north Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
. However, in the strictest sense the name génépi applies only to those members of the genus Artemisia growing in the Savoy
Savoy (; ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...
region known as Genepi. The European Union protects French génépi liqueur under its Protected Geographical Status
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect na ...
system.
Under the EU legislation the name génépi is limited in use to those French products, but unlike under systems of appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...
, there are few regulations or limitations on how the product is produced or what ingredients are used in making it. A beverage may be labelled and sold as génépi only if it complies with general EU requirements for 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 ...
, such as a minimum sugar content (expressed as invert sugar) of 100 grams per litre.
Swiss chocolate
Swiss chocolate (; ; ) is chocolate produced in Switzerland. Switzerland's chocolates have earned an international reputation for high quality with many famous international chocolate brands.
Switzerland is particularly renowned for its milk cho ...
is sold in France (and no doubt elsewhere) with the wording in English (as well as in French and German) "Milk Chocolate with a Swiss Genepi Liquor filling".
Raw material
For making génépi liqueur, several species of '' Artemisia'' (the genus of the wormwoods) are particularly valued, including ''A. genipi'' (black génépi) and ''A. umbelliformis'' (white génépi) - either of which being sometimes referred to as ''A. rupestris''. The botanical identification of the plants traditionally collected for use in making génépi liqueur is complicated by scientific reclassification work in the genus '' Artemisia'', spurred by recent trends in molecular assay and cladistics
Cladistics ( ; from Ancient Greek 'branch') is an approach to Taxonomy (biology), biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesiz ...
, that has resulted in the decline in use (among academics) of common names used in traditional literature.
It is likely that a wide range of wormwoods native to the mountainous areas of Spain, France, Switzerland and Italy have been used to make the liqueur, with personal taste, tradition and availability shaping the selection. According to Stephen Gould, "Any liquor/liqueur made with any member of the artemisia family, except artemisia ab. (Grand wormwood) would be considered a Genepi ..."
Other species known to have been used at one time or another in producing génépi are ''A. glacialis'', ''A. pontica'' and ''A. borealis''. Flowers of "Alsem der Alpen", the botanically related ''Achillea erba-rotta'' subsp. ''moschata'' known in English as musk milfoil, are sometimes added or used to substitute entirely for one or more of the génépi species. Collectively, these various Alpine plants that blossom at high altitudes during July and August are known in German as "Edelraute".
Génépi at home
Génépi can be made at home through the simple addition of prepared herbs to vodka or grain alcohol. The chopped, dried wormwood flowers are sold in southwestern Europe in small sachets similar to tea bags. Home-brewing instructions, as well as ingredients, can be found online. For the more adventurous, the flowers and herbs can be harvested in July and August. After drying and chopping, the herbal mass can be enclosed in cheesecloth for steeping. A generic recipe for a liter of génépi would require forty flowers and forty sugar lumps to be added to 40% alcohol by volume.
Commercial génépi
There are myriad of brands of génépi liqueur in commerce, most being of small production volume and limited distribution. Additionally, there are a number of commercial liqueurs that resemble génépi or share common ingredients, perhaps the most notable being Chartreuse produced by the Carthusian
The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...
monks in the mountains beyond Grenoble
Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
. Conversely, numerous small producers throughout the French region of Savoy and the Italian region of Val d'Aosta have occasionally bottled and made available their local products, and many restaurateurs in those regions produce and sell their own.[Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity: ]
Traditional Genepy from the Cuneo valleys
'
Literature
* Marie-Claude Delahaye: ''Le Génépi.'' Equinoxe, 2008,
References
External links
*
The Génépy
' at the Valle d'Aosta
The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...
official tourism website
*
Recipes from the Alps: Génépy
'' website of the ''Académie de Grenoble'' (Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
)
* Article on '' Génépi'' in French Wikipedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Genepi
Liqueurs
Herbal liqueurs