Editing Scrumpy

{{Short description|Type of cider produced in the West of England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox drink
| name         = Scrumpy
| image        = File:Scrumpybottle.jpg
| image_size   = 
| image_alt    = A plastic bottle of dark gold liquid sitting on a table. A gold label reads "Scrumpy Cider".
| caption      = A bottle of commercially produced scrumpy from [[Cornwall]].
| type         = Cider
| abv          = 
| proof        = 
| manufacturer = 
| distributor  = 
| origin       = West of England
| introduced   = 
| discontinued = 
| colour       = 
| flavour      = 
| ingredients  = Apples
| variants     = 
| related      = 
| website      = 
| region       = 
}}
'''Scrumpy''' is a type of [[cider]] originating in the West of [[England]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Soanes|first=Catherine |title=The Oxford Dictionary of English|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-861057-2|url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t140.e69266|edition=revised }}</ref> particularly the [[West Country]]. Traditionally, the dialect term "scrumpy" was used to refer to what was otherwise called "rough", a harsh cider made from unselected apples.<ref name=leeds>Leeds, W. ''Herefordshire Speech: The South-West Midlands Dialect As Spoken in Herefordshire and Its Environs'', 1985, p.95</ref>

Today the term is more often used to distinguish locally made ciders produced in smaller quantities and using traditional methods, from [[mass-produced]] [[brand]]ed ciders.<ref name=CAMRA/>

==Etymology==
Various origins of the name ''scrumpy'' have been proposed. The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', which finds the term first used in 1904, derives it from the noun ''scrump'', meaning "something withered or dried up", not specifically apples. Other claimed derivations include a noun ''scrimp'' with the same meaning, derived from a verb ''scrump'', meaning "to steal fruit".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A689060 |title=Scrumpy |publisher=h2g2 |accessdate=4 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/scrump |title=Scrump |publisher=Reverso |accessdate=4 December 2013}}</ref> Neither of these meanings is attested in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', and the ''[[English Dialect Dictionary]]'' confirms the existence of the word ''scrump'' applied to "anything small or undersized", particularly apples, and notes a related word ''scrumpling'' for a small apple.<ref name=edd>Wright (ed)''English Dialect Dictionary'', 1961, p.291</ref><ref>History & Antiquities of Horsham, Doreathea E Hurst, Francombe & Co, Lewes (1868), (1889) 2nd ed page 266 describes a scrumpling as a small, ill shaped apple</ref> It can be applied to basic [[homebrewing|homemade]] ciders as well as to commercially produced and marketed varieties.

In 1997 a legal case on trademark law was fought in [[Ireland]] between [[Scrumpy Jack|Symonds]] and [[Magners|Showerings (Ireland)]], in which the defendant successfully argued that "scrumpy" was a part of the "commonage" of the language, being a generic term referring to rough dry farmhouse cider.<ref name=byrne774>Byrne (ed). ''Annual Review of Irish Law 1997'', p.774</ref>

==Production==
Traditional "rough" was invariably fermented out to absolute dryness, with a strong, full bodied character but no distinguishable apple flavour: in 19th century [[Devon]] "rough" was much preferred for home consumption, while sweeter, less alcoholic cider was produced for an 'export' market outside the county.<ref name=shapter>Shapter, ''The Climate of the South of Devon'', 1842, pp.223-4</ref> "Rough" was known as the customary drink of farm labourers in the west of England, who would generally receive up to a [[quart]] ({{convert|1|impqt|L|disp=out|abbr=off}}) daily as an incentive on top of their wages.

Modern scrumpy can be dry or sweet, and is usually still rather than [[carbonated]], but may have some degree of carbonation. However, it tends to be stronger in [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] and more [[tannin|tannic]] than most commercial ciders. Due to its traditional methods of production, it is usually very pulpy, and resultantly often cloudy in appearance.<ref name=CAMRA>{{cite book|title=Cider|author=Campaign for Real Ale|author-link=Campaign for Real Ale|publisher=CAMRA Books|date=15 April 2009|isbn=978-1852492595}}</ref>

It is produced by pulping and pressing a quantity of apples, and then adding the juice to a vessel with a special lid to ensure the pressure does not rise too much. It may be necessary to add a [[Campden tablet]] to prevent undesirable bacterial action, and the vessel must be sanitized.<ref name=some/> The vessels are sealed and left to ferment for a few months.<ref name=some>{{cite web |url=http://www.somersetmade.co.uk/oldscrump/recipec8.php |title=Paul Gunningham's Own Scrumpy |publisher=Somersetmade Ltd. |access-date=4 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100822031732/https://www.somersetmade.co.uk/oldscrump/recipec8.php |archive-date=22 August 2010}}</ref>

==Other uses==
As well as scrumpy made with apples, there also exists [[pear scrumpy]], similar to [[perry]]. [[Scrumpy and Western]] describes a kind of music from the [[West Country]], where scrumpy is traditionally produced, typified by [[The Wurzels]].

<gallery>
File:Jks scrumpy hard cider.jpg|A bottle of  6.0% [[Abv]], organic scrumpy from the USA.
File:Somerset scrumpy.jpg|A gallon of Parson's Choice [[Somerset]] scrumpy.
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Somerset ciders]]
[[Category:English ciders]]
[[Category:West Country]]