Hanna Ohlssson
A Schobbe Ebbelwoi from a Bembel
Ebbelwoi is Frankfurt dialect for Apfelwein, apple wine or cider.
It is made by alcoholic fermentation of the juice of sour apples, which are usually not consumed as fruits. Often, fruits from the service tree are added during the fermentation process, which increases the astringency of the drink. It contains about 6 % alcohol.
The drink is served in glasses with a lozenge cut pattern, a holdover from past times when people used to eat without cutlery and a smooth glass would easily slip out of the greasy hands. Such a glass filled with Apfelwein is called Schoppen. Larger servings come in a Bembel, a paunchy pot from glazed grey stoneware that keeps the drink cool.
Fermented apple juice has a long history and goes back to times before the Romans occupied parts of Germany. The Germanic word Ephiltranc for such a drink is mentioned in Roman documents. In Frankfurt, apple wine appeared first around 1600. By that time, it was a sub-standard drink for the poor, while the majority drank proper wine. Only when wine culture in the area of Frankfurt declined due to climate change (temperature decrease), war ravages, and the phylloxera epidemic, apple wine became popular as a substitute for wine.
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