Have you ever wondered: what is the origin of the aperitif? Who invented the aperitif? Why was the aperitif invented? What is the history of the aperitif? Why is it so called? Where does the word aperitif come from? What does aperitif mean? We answer below.

When was the aperitif born? Where was the aperitif born?

Let’s start by answering two key questions: where was the aperitif born? When was the aperitif born? You will probably be surprised to learn that there is a triple answer to each of these questions. There are several ancestors to the modern aperitif ... Let’s go by order.

Where and when was the aperitif born? We can answer that the aperitif was born in Ancient Greece, around 400 B.C. There are testimonies that tell of a drink, understood as a kind of medicine, a mix of wine and other substances, which was served before meals to stimulate hunger in subjects who manifested a chronic lack of appetite.

To the same question we can answer that the origin of the aperitif must be traced in Ancient Rome at the banquets and dinners of the richest classes of society. On these occasions there was always a specific moment, called "gustatio", in which the so-called "mulsum", that is the wine with honey, was served, together with specific foods such as vegetables enriched with spicy sauces, sausages, but also fish and boiled eggs. The intent was to anticipate the meal with something that could stimulate not only the hunger of the guests, but also the conviviality and sociality of the "event". Wine and food met these needs perfectly.

Finally, to the question of this paragraph we can answer by saying that the aperitif, in its modern version, was born in 1786, in Turin, the year and place of the invention of Vermouth, the famous aromatized white wine that, at least in the initial phase, was the "king of aperitifs".

Who invented the aperitif?

In this paragraph, we answer a second question: who was the inventor of the aperitif? Before we saw where and when it was born, now is the time to understand who gave birth to it, more or less voluntarily. In this case, there are two possible answers.

The inventor of the aperitif was Antonio Benedetto Carpano, a famous distiller who invented Vermouth, in its original version with white wine, added alcohol and 30 varieties of herbs and spices, capable of stimulating the appetite. Since this drink was immediately established as an aperitif drink, Carpano is considered its creator.

But we could also say that it was Hippocrates who inadvertently invented the aperitif. That beverage that was common in ancient Greece to combat the lack of appetite was known as "vinum hippocratum", a mix of wine, wormwood and a series of plants that gave the wine a bitter taste, decisive in stimulating hunger.

What does aperitif mean? Why is it called aperitif?

Finally, let’s answer other curious questions about the aperitif: why is it called so? What is the origin of the term aperitif? And what does an aperitif mean?

In this case the answer does not present possible alternatives. It is called "aperitif" because it derives from the Latin term "aperitivus", which we translate as "able to open" or "opening". The word refers to the ability of the aperitif to "open" the stomach and stimulate the sense of hunger and appetite of those who participate in the ritual.

Did you know all these curiosities about aperitifs? More specifically, what are your favorite wines for aperitifs?