Did you know that the aperitif is linked to medical history, colonisation and antiquity? Enjoyed for centuries, the aperitif is a French tradition that brings together all generations. To be enjoyed in moderation, of course.
Afterwork, birthdays, Christmas, holidays, Friday evenings at the seaside, Saturday before a party… There seems to be every reason to have an aperitif. The famous phrase ‘it’s time for an aperitif’ has become part of the French vocabulary. Here’s a look back at the history of these few hours of conviviality and sharing over a drink and a few savoury delights.
The aperitif as a remedy for ailments
The tradition dates back to ancient times. In Roman times, drinking was a way of preparing the body for large banquets. Olivier Poels, in his column Les papilles de la Nation on Europe 1, points out that people ‘drank decoctions of herbs and plants in their own corners. Some even had laxative properties’ in preparation for these stomach-churning feasts. These drinks then became essences made from wine and honey. The word ‘aperitif’ comes from the Latin ‘aperire’, meaning ‘to open’. Opening not a bottle but the pores of the skin to eliminate toxins from the body.
For centuries, aperitifs have been associated with well-being, in the quest for better digestion. When the word appeared in Diderot’s Encyclopaedia in 1751, it was defined as a ‘medicine that opens the pathways of elimination’.
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