Nestled within the heart of France's culinary and brewing traditions is the humble yet remarkable hops plant, also known as "Hobs." With its delicate green cones, hobs bring a touch of botanical elegance to both the brewing vat and the kitchen stove.

Renowned for its bittering, flavoring, and aromatic qualities, hops have woven themselves intricately into the fabric of French culture, leaving an indelible mark on the realms of beer manufacturing and gastronomy.

Hobs' influence extends beyond the brewing barrel. In French cuisine, this versatile plant has also carved a unique niche. As an aromatic ingredient, hops impart distinctive earthy and floral notes to culinary creations, adding depth and complexity to dishes.

From hearty stews to delicate sauces, French chefs artfully incorporate hops to elevate their cuisine's flavor profile. The interplay between hops and ingredients like meats, vegetables, and even desserts offers a sensory journey through the lush landscapes of France.

Hops or Le houblon as it’s pronounced in French is a species of the Humulus Lupulus plants. It’s thought that the botanical name Humulus is derived from Humle the Swedish name for hops. Lupulus comes from the Latin term lupus which means wolf. This name is said to come from the plant growing amongst the wickers in the wild it strangles other plants by climbing them with a light embrace as a wold does to a sheep. Hops is also known as Devils Wood, Northern Vine, Lupulin Hops.

Some say that hops came from Central Europe others from China. Hops can now be found in Australia, South Africa, and even South America. Species of hops that grew in the wild in America have hybridized over time with the European varieties that were introduced by settlers. The hops are in the same family of plants as hemp and marijuana.

Hops is a woody, perennial climbing or crawling plant that has a herbaceous vine with a large fleshy root. The stems of the plant can grow for as long as ten meters. The plant has both male and female flowers. Sometimes though one plant can have both male and female flowers.

The female flowered plants have more than 1,000 chemical compounds including resins, essential oils, and proteins. Depending on the plant the essential oil that is secreted represents up to 3% of dried hops. This oil gives the hops their characteristic smell and the aroma and flavor of beer. Surprisingly the genome of the hops plant is quite large and is around a similar size to the human genome.

Hops prefer nutrient-rich soils and are often found in the wild at the edge of woodlands, in clearings, riverbanks, in hedges, and on embankments. It sends up new shoots in early spring and then dies back in autumn.

Harvest of hops commercially has been happening for over a thousand years. In fact in Germany in 1998 a stamp was issued to commemorate 1100 years of cultivation of hops in Germany. The oldest record of the use of hops in the making of beer goes back to 822 in a document signed by Adalard de Corbie who was one of the great abbots of the Carolingian period.

In the US Hops began to be cultivated by the English Settlers in 1695 in Massachusetts and in New South Wales in Australia, the first hops harvest was in 1803.

Now the main producers of hops around the world are the USA and Germany with over 50K tonnes of production a year each which equates to around 77% of the market in the world. France is no 10 in the world production with over 800 tonnes a year. Pretty much nearly all of this production of hops is destined for the brewing industry.

In France, hops are generally grown in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country. You will see a hops farm with the plants growing on long rows of cables nearly 7 meters tall, usually in a v shape. The plant grows quite fast, in fact, it can grow by 15 to 30 cm within 24 hours.

The presence of hops in France can be traced back to the Middle Ages. In the 8th century, they were mentioned in the royal decrees of Pepin the Short who was the king of the Franks. Franks were German-speaking peoples who invaded the Western Romain Empire back in the 5th century.

A hops crop is a perennial crop and can last more than twenty years. When first planted the producers have to wait three years until their first harvest can take place.

Interestingly when harvesting hops by hand the pickers can get dermatitis. In fact, about 3% of pickers actually get skin lesions on the face, arms, and legs and there have even been cases where pickers have had to seek medical treatment at hospitals.

Hops cones are toxic when swallowed by dogs, so be sure to keep our furry friends away from the hops plants.

Beer is made with hops. In 1516 Bavaria’s Duke William IV enacted the Law on the Purity of Beer which degreed that only barley, hops, and water could be used as ingredients in the making of beer. We now of course use yeast to create the fermentation process in beer but yeast wasn’t known at the time.

Hops used in England were actually imported from France, Holland, and Germany and weren’t grown in Kent until they were introduced by Dutch farmers there in the 1500s.

The first book to mention the use of hops in beer was written by a woman. In the 12th century, a German nun by the name of Hildegarde De Bingen highlighted the aromatic and preservative properties of hops.

French Hops come primarily from the key hop-growing region of France, the region of Alsace on the west bank of the Upper Rhine. Politically, for hundreds of years, the region has gone back and forth between Germany and France. Its German name is Elsass. France, and especially Alsace, has been a growing region for many centuries.

Beer producers in France use mainly unfertilized female plants. The male hops are removed as to avoid seed production because the seeds can oxidize and produce aromas that aren’t nice in the beer.

Often the production and harvesting of hops by the farmer will be done via contracts with brewers so as to maintain a continuing production and supply of beer. Since the commercial production of hops began there have only been two large halts in the growing of hops, that would be during the first and second world wars.

There is an expression in the business of hops, noble hops. This is in reference to four specific varieties of hops. Hallertau, Tettnanger, Spalt and Saaz. These four European varieties have low bitterness and a rich aroma so are much sought after.

Hops can also be found in the culinary world with again the female cone being the main part of the plant used. Young hop shoots are tender and edible when they come out of the ground at the beginning of spring.

They are often eaten raw in salads or cooked like you would asparagus. The raw hops in Belgium is considered the northern truffle and is considered a luxury product that can fetch over 1000 euro a kilo at auctions. As soon as the spring tender young hop shoots show up on dinner menus, dressed traditionally in a Hollandaise-like sauce you know that Spring has sprung here in France.

You can also consume hops as a herbal tea, specifically a sleep tea as well as an infusion or decoction. The infusions are better when done as a cold infusion. In many countries hops are also used in the making of sourdough bread and in Paris there is a boutique beer-making class that gives the leftover hops to a nearby cookie maker who makes biscuits and ice cream out of it.

Pepin the Short was famous for saying.

“Who ought to be the king of France-the person who has the title or the man who has the power?”

— Pepin the Short

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