Though most Britons are ignorant about what constitutes quality in water, and are unable to decode the labels on bottled waters, water quality seems to have become a national obsession.
Bottled water is a booming business, worth £25bn globally. It has long been important in mainland Europe, where less reliable mains water supplies and the presence of volcanic sources have created a steady demand for mineral waters, as well as spring waters.
The French, Italians, Spaniards, Germans and others, who historically have far greater knowledge and understanding of wines than Britons do, recognise and distinguish between the tastes and mouth-feel of spring and mineral waters from different sources. They may choose, or a sommelier may suggest, specific waters to partner certain dishes. And the timeless charm of "taking the waters" (sipping, bathing or both) in a spa has never been fully lost.
As a sweeping generalisation, it seems to me that Americans and Canadians are motivated by fear of pollution; they buy bottled water for what it does not contain. Mainland Europeans choose mineral waters according to their mineral content. But in Britain, it is the bottle that counts, the contents are of secondary importance.
Maybe I am being a bit unkind about my compatriots. Other nations are not immune to the snob appeal of designer water. At a magnificent banquet I attended in Parma in 1996, where entire wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and ranks of Parma hams were the chief glories for me, what seemed to impress the Italians most was Ty Nant, or rather the miniature club-shaped Bristol-blue bottles in which this Welsh water was delivered. So stylish, they cooed, and queued to take them home to use as bedside carafes. It struck me as a nice riposte to the 1950s habit of lighting London's trattorie with candles stuck in old Chianti flasks.
What is sad about the current faddish obsession with bottled water is the blind belief that it must be better than tap water. This is only true in countries where sanitation is dubious. It irritates me when the only bottled water I can find at an English railway station is either a screw-top bottle that claims to contain "a hint of lemon" (a disagreeable, diluted boiled-sweet experience compared to cold tap water with a slice of lemon in it), or a bottle of plain water with a teat-style top, the sort invented to enable joggers and cyclists to sip on the move without slurping. This last is presumably preferred by stockists because it carries a premium price tag, and is often bought by non-exercisers to fuel their healthy illusions.
It is not just the price of bottled water that offends me - though the mark-up in some restaurants is outrageous. I think I get all the minerals I need from a well-balanced diet. And I know I can eliminate most of the limescale deposits and an overdose of chlorine in my tap water by filtering the mains supply at home. What really makes bottled water a bit difficult to swallow is thinking of all the energy expended on getting those heavyweight and frankly unnecessary crates of the stuff from source (often overseas) to my kitchen, when I know that more than one billion people in the world do not have reliable access to safe drinking water.
Of course I sometimes drink commercially bottled water. When I do, I want something different from the everyday tap experience, so I nearly always choose water with a champagne-like fizz rather than flat. Have you noticed that both waiting staff and customers in Britain almost always say "sparkling" and "still" rather than naming names? On the continent people looking for particular qualities specify exactly which brand they want, while the majority request water from the nearest source by name, local waters being cheaper.
I am no better than most English people at appreciating the nuances between many brands. It was only when I took part in a blind-tasting a decade or so ago that I began to notice how varied water could be. Some were stony hard, some were soft in the mouth, almost silky. Some had a quasi-medicinal tang, some were virtually tasteless. Only one of our group correctly identified the joker in the pack (London tap), but, interestingly, several voted it the best in the still water category.
While Britain and Germany favour sparkling water, still waters sell best in the rest of Europe. Perrier was the first to catch British imaginations with its stylish advertisements (remember Eau La! La! and H2Eau?), its naturally vigorous bubbles and low mineral taste. It remains a favourite but some people prefer the fizzing German contender, Apollinaris, for a celebratory aperitif. Ferrarelle and Badoit are more gently gaseous, so more companionable with food. Sodium and bicarbonate rich Vichy has a reputation for easing the digestion. San Pellegrino boasts a strong minerally tang. Font Vela (Spanish) and Panna are reckoned ideal for the elderly and for infants. Malvern, from the Worcestershire spa, seems exceptionally mild mannered. Contrexeville, high in sulphates, calcium and magnesium, is the opposite. Prized for intestinal disorders and sipped eagerly by French slimmers, it strikes me as a medicine, not a beverage.
Does the water you use make a difference to cooking? Michelangelo reputedly never cooked except with Fiuggi water, but that may have been because of its fame for breaking down kidney stones, from which he suffered badly. I always thought it rather fanciful salesmanship when chefs from Vichy insisted that a vegetable dish made with carrots, butter, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley and water would not taste right unless made with bottled Vichy water - I note that Larousse Gastronomique suggests substituting tap water plus a pinch of bicarbonate of soda if Vichy is not readily available. On the other hand, I believe bakers and pasta-makers who swear that the water they use is crucial to their trades. Given that pasta and bread comprise only flour, water, salt (and yeast for most breads), it seems reasonable to suppose that water quality matters a lot in their recipes, at least to educated and sensitive palates.
The case in tea and coffee is clear. Heavily chlorinated water ruins a delicate brew. Very hard water, or a jug filter coming to the end of its run, furs up the kettle, creates scum and leaves gritty limescale particles in the liquid. Taylors of Harrogate please customers by offering their bestselling Yorkshire tea in two versions, one of them specially blended for use in hard water areas. Some Frenchmen claim that Volvic's soft spring water makes the coffeeiest coffee, and they are not alone in using bottled water to make their breakfast cuppa.
Water may not be as exciting as intoxicating brews but it can be the most welcome and satisfying drink. I remember being greeted in nearly every Greek mountain village I visited half a century ago with a spoonful of jam (to replenish lost energy), a thimble of pick-me-up coffee and, proudest offering of all, a glass of cold water that the villagers truly believed was purer, clearer and sweeter than could be found elsewhere.
I hope this hospitable custom persists. And I look forward to the day when restaurateurs and dinner hostesses everywhere copy the civilised American habit of placing a jug of fresh cold tap water on the table when giving customers the menu to peruse. Good food is important but water is the essence of life.
LIQUID ASSETS
NATURAL MINERAL WATER
European Union directives require that any water so labelled must come from an identified and protected source, whose mineral salt content gives it specific properties that may be beneficial to health. It must be guaranteed to be consistent in composition and naturally wholesome without treatment. The natural flow must not be exceeded in bottling for fear of disturbing the whole water table, or altering the identity of its unique character. Bottling must be done at source under conditions of stringent hygiene. No pasteurisation, ozone or ultra-violet treatment is used to render the water sterile. Like yoghurt, natural mineral water is live. Once the seal is broken, other bacteria may enter the bottle. Drink within a day or two of opening.
SPRING WATER
Like natural mineral water, EU regulations require this to come from an underground source, be bottled under strictly regulated conditions, and be microbiologically safe without treatment, though some substances, such as iron and sulphur, may be filtered out. Although subject to full bacteriological purity tests, no therapeutic claims are made for spring water.
EFFERVESCENCE
Both natural mineral waters andspring waters may be still or effervescent. The words “naturally sparkling” or “naturally carbonated” on the label mean that the water emerges from underground with enough natural carbon dioxide to make it bubbly. This gas may be drawn off initially and re-injected (partly or wholly) on the bottling line. The word “sparkling” or “carbonated” used alone indicates the addition of artificial carbonation on the bottling line.
TAP WATER
All tap water is water, rain ormelted snow, collected from rivers, reservoirs and boreholes and treated before storage, ready to pump into the mains and pipe into homes. In the UK, water is “made safe” by various cleaning processes to neutralise it, then disinfected with chlorine, and it may have fluoride added to it.
HOME TREATMENTS
Tap water in developed countries, although safe, may have its taste and mouthfeel improved by treatment at home. Simply drawing water from the tap and letting it stand for 24 hours will evaporate most of the chlorine. Other options include using a carbon filter jug system, such as Brita, to reduce limescale and eliminate some 75 per cent of chlorine, lead, copper, aluminium and pesticides (but not fluoride). Installing a reverse osmosis system, such as Freshly Squeezed Water, should remove some 90 per cent of minerals and chemicals from “raw” tap water, dissolving contaminants as well as particles, including sodium and fluoride.
