Olivier Poels 5:40 p.m., March 25, 2022
An eau-de-vie obtained by distilling cider, Calvados is a Norman speciality.
In the region, cider has been produced since the Middle Ages, the land being conducive to the cultivation of apple trees.
The first mention of this eau-de-vie dates from 1553 and appears in the journal of a Cotentin gentleman, Gilles de Gouberville.
He also details the many varieties of apples - more than 40 - which are found in his orchard.
Little by little, in the farms, the production of Calvados develops thanks to itinerant stills.
In 1600, the corporation of eau-de-vie distillers was even born!
In 1790, after the outbreak of the Revolution, Calvados became a department.
Its name does not come from alcohol, but from the Latin "calva dorsa", which designates a rocky bench.
In the 19th century, the phylloxera crisis which destroyed the vineyard allowed Calvados, which had been spared, to experience a very prosperous period.
Today nearly 200 varieties of apples can be used to produce Calvados.
You have to find the right balance between sweet apples, others more acidic or bitter.
Calvados must, after distillation (single or double), be aged at least twice in barrels.
We then find a name similar to that of cognac:
VSOP: 4 years
XO: 6 years
Vintage: from a single vintage
Recipe idea: apples flambéed with Calvados, baked apples, flambéed and served with a scoop of ice cream.