While it may sound Yiddish, and you’d be hard pressed to find a Jewish event without bottles and bottles of the stuff, the word seltzer actually gets its name from the German town of Niederseltsers, famous for its natural mineral springs.

How Did Seltzer Become “Jewish”?

Originally seltzer was medicinal—used across Europe as a tonic for stomach aches and other ailments. Soon pharmacies began to experiment with flavors and syrups, and the seltzer-fountain turned into a social event. Perhaps that explains why Ashkenazi Jews—who are known for their stomach issues and penchant for kvetching—gravitated to the pharmacy for seltzer treatment.

But how did it become the go-to drink at every Kiddush, bris, wedding and Shabbat meal?

When European Jews migrated to the US in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, settling en masse on the Lower East Side, some became “seltzermen.” Each seltzerman had his own route and personalized glass bottles, typically his name and a Jewish symbol like a menorah or Star of David.

Dozens of factories filtered and carbonated the city’s water (some suggest this was the only way to ensure clean water, which contributed to its popularity). The seltzermen would fill their bottles at the factory in the morning, deliver along their route, collecting used bottles as they went. When a seltzerman retired or passed away, someone else could buy his route and his bottles.

Is Seltzer Kosher?

Today, seltzer comes in generic plastic bottles (or cans), but it has maintained its status in Jewish homes and shuls across the country. It is inherently kosher without requiring certification (provided that the flavoring is not problematic), making it one of the easiest drinks to purchase wherever you may be.

Can You Make Seltzer on Shabbat?

There are devices that allow you to press a button and release a burst of CO₂ from a removable gas cylinder into a bottle of water, dissolving under pressure to create your own seltzer.

Provided that there is no electrical component, many say that these may be used on Shabbat!1 A splash of grape juice has kids at Shabbat tables all over the world thinking they are drinking soda.

Indeed, in Yiddish, seltzer is called “soda vasser,” soda water, and is in fact as popular as both soda and water!