Selters

The term seltzer water, seltzer or soda water, especially in northern and eastern Germany and seltzer, is now often used to refer to sparkling mineral water. Seltzer is or was also the brand of two mineral waters.

Origin of the name

Soda water or seltzer water originally denoted a mineral water from the springs in the central Hessian Niederselters im Taunus in Limburg- Weilburg. This mineral is an alkaline - muriatic sorrel, that is a due to its sodium content, alkaline, saline mineral water with a natural carbon dioxide content of about 250 mg / l The ancient Romans (50 BC to 475 AD in Germania ) called the points at which bubbly, " dancing " water from the deep came to the surface, Aqua saltare. For this saltare was during the first time Saltrissa and finally seltzer. In the monastery of Fulda, this source was mentioned by name " Saltrissa " in the year 772.

History

The Worms doctor Jakob Theodor Tabernaemontanus presented in 1581 in his book The Neuw water treasure the healing properties of the well water from Niederselters out. Since the late 16th or 17th century it was exported in millions of stoneware jugs, known as seltzer bottles. For a long time there were two competing mineral waters under the name seltzer in trade, on the one hand from the original and conceptual formative Niederselters (sometimes also called " Ursel Marketers " ) and on the other hand a source in seltzer on the Lahn, which there as a second fountain operation of the site (after Neuselters ) was put into operation in 1908 (see also: History of the mineral source Niederselters ). After the buying operation in Niederselters 1990 by the owner of the source in seltzer on the Lahn, the Binding Brewery, the regional sales of soda from the original source location Niederselters in favor of mineral water from seltzer on the Lahn was adjusted. Until 1999, the "original" seltzer was still sold locally, then the wells operating in Niederselters was closed. Since then, the mineral water from seltzer on the Lahn is the only commercially available under the brand name " seltzer ".

Name Kund Royal

Meanwhile, the brand name " seltzer " life of its own and has become a generic name. It is often used as a synonym for mineral water. Hence the saying " champagne or seltzer " derives.

Seltzer is a variation of the German word seltzer, ie "from the seltzer to arise ", and except in the expression Aqua Seltzer predominantly in the English language ( Seltzer water ) is used for soda water.

The word Seltzer found its way into the art word Alka -Seltzer, the brand name for a weak to medium strong painkiller with the active ingredient aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid).