Enjoying Pastis |
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| By Kim Steele | ||||
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If you're planning a trip to the south of France this summer, hopefully you'll take the time to sit in a small village café/bar in the warm, late afternoon and soak up the sights and sounds of Provence. You'll hear the buzzing of the cigales (cicadas) and perhaps in the distance you'll see game of boules (France's popular outdoor bowling game) slowly unfolding amongst the village men. If you look around at what the locals are drinking, you'll see quite a few slowly sipping a glass of milky pastis. This licorice flavored alcohol is very popular in the south of France, especially in the region around Marseille. Bars have been serving it as an apéritif for about 80 years now. It was popularized in response to the outlawing of absinthe around the start of WWI. Absinthe Absinthe, the forefather of pastis, was flavored with anise and contained the herb, known as wormwood. It was a very popular drink for a while, perhaps too popular, as it become a notorious favorite among artists and writers, many of whom had serious drinking problems. The French government decided to outlaw it in 1914 as part of a generalized movement toward prohibition that was sweeping Europe.. At this time it was rumored that wormwood was responsible for causing mental disturbances, including hallucinations and madness. More than likely, it was the alcohol in absinthe that was the source of people's problems, and recently absinthe containing wormwood has returned to the marketplace. The tradition of licorice-flavored alcohol was not eradicated with the outlawing of absinthe however. Bar owners and wine merchants continued to market similar alcohols in the 1920's, frequently at the risk of heavy fines. Ricard Towards the end of the 1920's one businessman, Paul Ricard, began successfully marketing an anise flavored alcohol. He was fined, but lobbied for the right to sell his alcohol and eventually it was legalized. It was Ricard who named the drink pastis, after "pastisson", a local word meaning mixture. He enjoyed tremendous success for years, and eventually united with his top competitor, the Pernod company. The color Pastis is sometimes nicknamed the yellow (la jaune), but my dad calls it green death. When you are served pastis in a bar, they will normally bring you a glass with about an inch of golden liquor in the bottom. Served alongside will be a pitcher of cold water and a glass of ice cubes. As you pour the cold water into your drink, it will turn a pale greenish yellow. Add one or two ice cubes and your drink is ready. The warning My dad doesn't call it green death for nothing. He claims that it was the reason he lost to my husband in chess one warm late afternoon in our garden in Corsica. I guess he wasn't feeling so fine the next morning either. Pastis is refreshing and sweet tasting. It is easy to drink too much. However, it is a very strong alcohol (about 40 proof). The locals you will notice take a long time to drink one glass. Perhaps all afternoon long. Follow their example . |
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| Article Source: http://smartico.co.za | ||||
| About The Author Learn some more about pastis, France's licorice liquor, or if you are planning
a vacation to France, enhance your experience by learning
more about some other famous French foods. |
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