Aperitif

Apéritif is French, but its root comes from Latin and literally means – to open. In this case, to open our digestive system to the coming meal. Perhaps the earliest use of this word was in ancient Greece, where preparing the digestive system for a meal was specifically mentioned. However, in 19th century France, a chemist created a wine-based drink flavoured with some herbs and wild grasses, called apéritif, for medicinal purposes.