Kümmel (liqueur)

Kümmel, kummel or kimmel (Latvian: ķimelis), is a sweet, colourless liqueur flavoured with caraway (German: Kümmel, Latvian: ķimenes) seeds, cumin and fennel.

Kümmel was first distilled in the Netherlands in the late 17th century; by 1823 the product had been adopted in the German lands (Germany would become as of 2019 the principal producer and market), and in then Russian-ruled Latvia,

becoming known in many markets as "Blanckenhagen-Allasch"

from its Latvian connections. Eastern Europe became as of 2007 the principal producer and market of kümmel.

History

Origin

The earliest known kümmel recipe, attributed to a knight of the Livonian Order, dates from 1503. Some accounts record the legend

that Lucas Bols (1652-1719)

first distilled kümmel liqueur in the Netherlands in 1575 - three quarters of a century before he was born.

Spread

Persistent stories associate the popularity of kümmel (Russian: кюммель) in Russia with the tastes of a man with a reputation for imbibing:

Tsar Peter I of Russia.

Whether or not Peter I (r. 1682–1725) first introduced kümmel to Russia, he does receive credit for organising its production there.

19th century

Kümmel's popularity grew in the early 19th century. being produced by 1823

Allasch is a variety of Kümmel; it is also a caraway liqueur of around 40% ABV, usually flavoured with bitter almonds, anise, angelica root and orange peel. Invented in 1823 in Allasch, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire (now Allažmuiža in Latvia), and produced by Wilhelm von Blanckenhagen (1761–1840), who owned land around Allasch which included a pure and reliable water source, it was widely popular and produced there until 1944 when the Soviet Union occupied Latvia and expelled ethnic Germans from the region.