1 minute read
Cider
from A Is For
by nathfiction
Cider is one of the most popular drinks in the world, in America, cider refers to any fruit drink that has not been filtered in any way, however in the UK and Europe, Cider refers to the fermented and alcoholic drink made from apples, that can be filtered or not . Cider has a huge impact on apple production in the UK, with 56% of all apples grown going into making this delicious drink.
THE HISTORY OF
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CIDER As told by Jane Peyton
Cider was consumed in the Roman empire, ancient Greece and the Middle East and the name itself probably derives from the Hebrew shekar or Greek sikera meaning ‘strong drink’. There is evidence that Celts in Britain made cider from crab apples as long ago as 3000 BCE, but the Roman invasion introduced apple cultivars and orcharding techniques to England. After the end of Roman occupation and once the Dark Ages began there is little information about cider in Britain, although cider-drinking Vikings and Anglo-Saxons colonised in this period so we can assume that apples were still being pressed and the juice fermented.
After the Normans invaded in 1066 they improved cidermaking in Britain forever by introducing tannic and acidic cider apples. They planted orchards and brought advanced pressing technology with them to make the extraction of juice from apples more efficient. Norman means ‘North Man’, and many of them were Vikings that had moved south from Scandinavia in the early ninth century. Vikings were keen cider drinkers and this explains why in France, a land dominated by wine, there is a proud tradition of cider in Normandy, which exists to this day.
By the beginning of the fourteenth century, cider was being made in almost every county in England as far north as Yorkshire. As agriculture and market gardening increased during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, so did orcharding and cider-making on a commercial basis. Soil conditions and climates in counties such as Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Somerset suited apple cultivation perfectly, and even today the West Country is the leading cider-producing region. It’s also home to the world’s largest cider maker HP Bulmer.
