The history of genziana roots

liquore genziana

‌ and therefore the ancient art of creating liqueurs in Abruzzo.

Today I decided to inform you about one among the foremost typical (and good) liqueurs of Abruzzo, the liquore genziana, or just "liquore genziana And it's a joy to be ready to tell you about something that has such an ancient and rooted history in our region, the art of creating liqueurs reception, an art that over the centuries has given life to exclusive recipes and typical products known throughout Italy, and whose origin is such a lot linked to the uses and customs of my land. And you now skills much I like this stuff right?

Making liqueurs and spirits is an ancient art, as I said, which has its origins within the Middle Ages; liqueurs are born in ancient herbalists and pharmacies, as methods to extract medicinal properties from plants or parts of them, and shortly pass from the halls of the traditional apothecaries to the tables of ordinary people. it's an ancient wisdom that's handed down from generation to generation, and that I think I can say that in Abruzzo, especially within the mountain areas, few families don't have the habit of preparing liqueurs reception.

Abruzzo, and therefore the people of Abruzzo, have always linked their history to their hometown, to its particularities, often to its hardness.

Abruzzo may be a difficult land sometimes, especially in a number of its areas, harsh, frozen in winter, yet marvelous in its size, in its contrasts. Generous in some seasons, harder in others. We from Abruzzo have always known this, and over the centuries we've learned to treasure every resource, even the littlest and maybe insignificant one. then our grandparents became masters within the art of liqueurs.

RatafiĂ , liquore genziana, genepĂŹ, nocino, center be a liqueur, passing through Simoncelli with lemons from the coast, then liqueur of thyme, bay leaf, basil ... of blackthorn, with wild berries, junipers, to urge to chocolate liqueurs, for the foremost innovative, or with coffee, or egg liqueur, for the more courageous.

Without forgetting the various bitters, and therefore the grappas distilled with rudimentary stills, initially created to not waste even the lees, or what remained of the vinification. My grandmother often tells these "home distillations", of how in times of war and misery for everybody, those that had the land had everything, "whoever held the land was a gentleman" ... because the land was an plaster and food for the family, to Feel the way to "do". And, curiously, during a land where work is tough to add the fields, or within the woods, and where therefore it's the

lady who thinks of everything reception, liquors are often the prerogative of men. it had been and still are men who procured and infused herbs in wines or alcohol. My home is an example ... my dad, my uncle, and my brother who per annum prepares liters and liters of nocino (and gives it to the proper and left) tell how, again, this tradition is of male "relevance". watching the notebook he must write the recipes, I notice that nearly all the doses of varied liqueurs are followed by male names (Walter's liquore genziana Roberto's nocino, Nando's genepì, Dad's version, etc.).

Women take over sweet liqueurs, ratafia, innovations, but liqueur is for men watching the notebook he must write the recipes, I notice that nearly all the doses of varied liqueurs are followed by male names (Walter's gentian, Roberto's nocino, Nando's genepì, Dad's version, etc.). Women take over sweet liqueurs, ratafia, innovations, but liqueur is for men watching the notebook he must write the recipes, I notice that nearly all the doses of varied liqueurs are followed by male names (Walter's liquore genziana, Roberto's nocino, Nando's genepì, Dad's version, etc.). Women take over sweet liqueurs, ratafia, innovations, but liqueur is for men (no oh well in my house no, the doc participates but I'm the one who produces, but I'm a separate case).

And so the summer and therefore the first periods of autumn, also as seasons of preserves, are seasons of liqueurs, prepared and stored to warm the long winter evenings ahead of the lit fireplaces, to supply "a little de robber calla", as my dear grandfather, to digest the usually heavy and rich meals of feast days.

And then I'll tell you about the Aquilano liqueur par excellence… the “Genziana”, or gentian liqueur.

Just yesterday, at a family party (we were about 30 people) after plenty of meat the liquore genziana appear at the table (in the plural, why don't you ever bring just one version to the table!), And one among those present, who lives on the costa, he said this sentence, which I printed in my mind because I wanted to place it on the post (in fact, here it is): "oh, I feel there's no home of an Aquilano where there aren't a minimum of two bottles of liquore genziana". No Davide, I feel not :), and if there was, well, it wouldn't be mine. liquore genziana maybe a liqueur that's extracted from the basis (more properly rhizome) of the gentian maggiore.

It is a perennial plant, with a yellow flower (not purple, not the greater liquore genziana), with a stem up to 140 cm high, and which blooms for the primary time after 10 years of life. The liquore genziana has been included within the species protected by the LR45 / 79, it's therefore forbidden to gather it, for any purpose. it's precise due to the excessive harvesting (above all of the methods of harvesting) that the plant began to say no round the thirties, becoming a rarefied and thus protected species.

Don't pick the roots.

In addition to running into a criminal offense, you'll put in danger a precious species that has witnessed our history.

In fact, it had been the transhumant shepherds, who stationed on the mountain plains of Campo Imperatore, and other areas of the Gran Sasso, who collected (in a

sustainable way) the liquore genziana roots to extract the liqueur that might warm them and accompany them within the long winters.

Herbalists, many websites, sell dried roots able to be used, and lots of come from sustainably planted and punctiliously cared for crops, even at high altitude. liquore genziana owes its distinctive bitter taste, and its digestive properties, to a substance, genziopiricin, contained within the roots, which are infused so as to release these substances in wine or alcohol, supported how it's made the infusion.

There are many various recipes out there, and there are two factions: the purists, who would never mix gentian with other flavors, and people who wish to mitigate the bitterness with another substance. At home, we do not take sides, and that we do both, but I see that ladies prefer the flavored ones, and men the dry one. Here is my recipe. If you favor to not flavor it, simply remove all the aromas, and increase the load of the basis by 10 g.