Brännvin (Brandy) and a Culture of Heavy Drinking
The consumption of alcoholic beverages has existed in the world almost as long as there have been people. Early man discovered that the juice from fruits and berries, left to stand for a while, would change in taste and properties. Drinking fermented juices from fruits and grains could often make the user experience an enhanced feeling of well-being. At times it could even create a better hunter or warrior. And it didn’t cause diarrhea or stomach upset that sometimes resulted from drinking plain stagnant or contaminated water.
By the 13th century, distillation had been discovered, creating a beverage with a much higher alcohol content than fermented wine and beer. It was called aqua vitae or life water. Initially, it was used exclusively to fight infectious disease, but the widespread use of distilled spirits expanded to have a dominant place in the treatment of all sorts of diseases and offered a calming, analgesic effect to suffering patients.
The preservation of fruits and grains was extended by the use of fermentation and distillation. Food products which would otherwise go bad over a period of time could remain fully consumable as alcoholic beverages and provide much needed calories during times of famine, drought, or crop failure. When it was discovered that the taste could be improved with the addition of spices and herbs, consumption could not be stopped.
Potato cultivation had been introduced in Sweden in 1658 but it was not initially well received as they were difficult to store without rotting or freezing. In 1746, Eva Ekeblad, Swedish countess, agronomist, and scientist, wrote to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences about her discoveries of making flour and alcohol out of potatoes. Due to a grain shortage in the mid 1700s which created a trade imbalance of bread grain, the use of potatoes to burn brännvin (brandy) became widespread.
Illegal or not, home burning was happening in secret all over Sweden, making the state distillery not very profitable. Consequently, the ban on home burning ended in 1787, opening the door to legal distillation throughout the country. Much of the home burning happened within the cities, but by 1800, land-owning farmers could legally produce their own spirits. The amount they could produce was dependent upon the amount of land they owned. In 1809, the right to burn spirits was extended to every household with the landowner’s permission. This right came with a universal Spirit Tax, and because it was payable by every landowner whether they burned or not, it only proved to stimulate home production even more.
Brewing spirits and beer at home was women’s work. On larger farms in which maids were employed, they had the responsibility to keep the brännvin bottles filled.
Potatoes would be washed, boiled, and mashed or ground, then mixed with potato water, malt, and yeast in a large mash tub. The mash tub would be covered and allowed to stand undisturbed for about 2 days. The lid would be removed early in the morning and the fermentation was tested by holding a burning wooden stick over the tub. If the stick did not go out (meaning the alcohol content was high enough so as to not extinguish the flame) the fermentation was complete. A fire would be made in the fireplace and a large cauldron of fermented mash would be placed on the fire on top of a three-legged iron ring. The lid or “hat,” having threaded pipes attached to contain the steam, would be tightly fitted on the cauldron. Since alcohol is highly flammable and combustible, accidents, which absolutely did occur, could be catastrophic should there not be a tight seal among all the joints. The other ends of the pipes were fitted into another container which was kept cold with ice, snow, or water. The vapor from the hot mash would travel through the pipes and be forced back into liquid form as soon as it came into contact with the cold.
The Swedish Medical Association, which was formed in 1807, recommended the use of alcohol to promote good health, and it was an ingredient in many medical treatments and home remedies. An old saying from Södermanland suggested that if an ailment could not be helped by brännvin, vitlök, and mjölk (brandy, garlic, and milk) it was incurable. Even small children’s ailments were treated with brännvin. The pacifier of old was a chew of bread that was wrapped in cloth and dipped in alcohol. But spirits were not only used for medicinal purposes, it became a folk drink, drunk on a daily basis.
Brännvin flowed freely at every party and celebration. Baptisms, confirmations, engagements, weddings, funerals, state and religious holidays, etc. were often an excuse for the over-consumption of alcohol. It was not uncommon for an event to end with a massive drunken brawl resulting in injuries and even death.
Men, by far, consumed the most brännvin on a daily basis. In peasant households it was a staple at every meal and was drunk throughout the day. It was common for a farmer and his servants to start every work day with a drink and a piece of bread. The average annual amount of consumption is debatable, but it’s been reported that by the mid 1800s consumption was estimated to be as high as 49 quarts of alcohol per adult per year. As spirits were often referred to as “soup,” it was said that “they took hunting soup, fish soup, cherry soup, walking soup, night soup, bed soup, slaughter soup, church soup, cupboard soup, Christmas soup, moving soup, thrush soup, and consolation soup.” Often, a sizeable portion of a farmhand’s compensation came in the form of brännvin. Some historians commented that, given the monotonous, back-breaking work put on the backs of Sweden’s poor who were stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of poverty and despair, the daily consumption of alcohol was the only way they believed they could endure another day. In reference to spirits, it was written that it was, “the only pleasure the Swedish peasant can prepare at home for his refreshment during hard work, for encouragement of his servants, to the delight of his guests and for the preparation of his medicine.”
As consumption of alcohol continued to increase throughout the 18th century and on into first half of the 19th century, the consequences devastated many Swedish households. Lives were cut short due to alcohol poisoning or alcohol-related accidents and disease. Productivity decreased. Undue burdens were placed on wives and mothers who had to take on the lion’s share of the household and farm work when the husband was constantly too drunk to contribute. In a male-dominated culture, where it was perfectly legal for husbands and fathers to beat their wives and children, as well as for land-owning employers to beat their maids and farmhands, the widespread practice of daily drunkenness greatly contributed to physical abuse and domestic violence.
Another family researcher wrote of a female
ancestor who died after a beating from her husband. In the minutes of the
husband’s trial, the priest testified that the wife had endured beatings at the
hand of her drunken husband for many years. The husband seldom engaged in the
work on the farm and “had been so gifted with beer and brandy so that he was
most often overwhelmed by drinks and drunkenness, and when he was drunk he
behaved like a madman.” Another very disturbing aspect of this story was that
the priest knew this was going on but could do nothing to stop it. Divorce was
extremely difficult to obtain, and so the wife’s only two options were to stay,
manage the farm and the household as best as she could while being repeatedly
and savagely beaten by a drunken husband, or escape and attempt to live a
shamed-filled existence with absolutely no financial, social, or legal support.
Swedish physician Magnus Huss was the first in the world to present the consequences of long-term alcohol abuse and classify it as a chronic disease. He went on to fight drunkenness throughout his life with great conviction. His published work, “Warning Word against Liquor and Beverage” was posted in all Swedish schools well into the 20th century. It ended with the words, “Teens! Children! You have now been informed of the terrible consequences of the use and abuse of intoxicating beverages. You can be assured that they are not exaggerated, but all based on truth and reality. Escape, therefore, the enemy of body and soul, the deceiving tempter, under what name or form it offers. Future misfortune and ruin hides at the bottom of the first glass!”
Magnus Huss’ work gave weight to medical and domestic concerns about excessive drinking, prompting more restrictive legislation in the mid-19th century. Home burning was once again banned and strict penalties were imposed for alcohol-related crimes like public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Alcohol consumption was reduced, but the social and cultural practices associated with drinking continued to override laws and common sense.
In Sweden today, all consumable spirits with an alcohol content higher that 3.5% can only be sold in a Systembolaget, a state-owned liquor store, and prices are high to discourage drinking to excess.
It’s been said that for anyone who studies their Swedish ancestors and believes they were not affected by excessive drinking needs to face reality. Ultimately, all of them, the user and abuser, as well as the abused, paid a very high price.
https://ep.liu.se/ej/hygiea/ra/008/paper.pdf
https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/alcohol-in-the-19th-century/
http://www.ukforsk.se/bok00/potatishistoria.htm
http://www.fridhem.nl/sob/00-2/brannvinet.htm
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hembr%C3%A4nning
http://www.janda.org/b20/News%20articles/alcohol_in_sweden.htm
https://swarthmorephoenix.com/2018/03/22/swedens-relationship-with-alcohol/
Next Post - Folkdräkt (Folkdress)
Comments
Post a Comment