Every so often, the botanical term Waldmeister comes up in a lesson. Initially, most students see some kind of relationship between the Waldmeister (Master of the woods) and the school’s Hausmeister.

But Waldmeister is an herb (sweet woodruff) and mostly found in Central and Northern Europe, as well as Western Siberia.

sweet woodruff (source:wikipedia)

The four most common usages for sweet woodruff in Germany are:

* herbal tea

* ice cream flavor (if you are in Germany, check your local Eiscafé for this)

* Waldmeisterbowle (sweet woodruff punch)

* Frigeo – sherbet powder

Frigeo Brausepulver Waldmeister flavor

We used to love this Brause-Pulver (sherbet powder) as kids. We made fizzy lemonades or just poured the powder into our hands and licked it off, as is, dirty hands and all.

I was very surprised to find it on the German supermarket shelves, after all these years!