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Rakia, rakija, rakiya, rachiu or rakı (Template:IPAc-en), is the collective term for fruit spirits (or fruit brandy) popular in the Balkans. The alcohol content of rakia is normally 40% ABV, but home-produced rakia can be stronger (typically 50–80%).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
OverviewEdit
Rakia is produced from fermented and distilled fruits, typically plums and grapes, but also apricots, pears, cherries or raspberries.<ref name="Bethune">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Other fruits less commonly used are peaches, apples, figs, blackberries, and quince. Common flavours are šljivovica and țuică, produced from plums,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> kaysieva/kajsija, produced from apricots, or grozdova/lozova in Bulgaria, raki rrushi in Albania, lozovača/komovica in Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina all produced from grapes.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Plum and grape rakia are sometimes mixed with other ingredients, such as herbs, honey, sour cherries and walnuts, after distillation.<ref name="Bethune" />
By countryEdit
AlbaniaEdit
Raki (Template:Lang-sq-definite) (a type of rakia) is a traditional drink in Albania.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Until the 19th century, meyhanes would serve wine or meze.<ref>Music of the Sirens, Inna Naroditskaya, Linda Phyllis Austern, Indiana University Press, p.290</ref>
BulgariaEdit
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Bulgaria cites an old piece of pottery from the 14th century in which the word rakiya (Template:Langx) is inscribed. The inscription on it reads: “I have celebrated with rakija.”<ref name="Edmonds">Veronika Edmonds, The Battle for the Origins of Rakija. 16 Sep. 2022 3 Seas Europe.</ref> The country has taken measures to declare the drink as a national drink in the European Union to allow lower excise duty domestically but has yet yielded no concrete results.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During an archaeological study, Bulgarian archaeologists discovered an 11th-century fragment of a distillation vessel used for the production of rakiya. Due to the age of the fragment, contradicting the idea that rakiya production only began in the 16th century, some historians believe this indicates that rakiya did originally come from Bulgaria.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The EU recognizes 12 brands of Bulgarian rakiya through the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) marks, which protect the name of products from a specific region that follow a traditional production process.<ref name="europa1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CroatiaEdit
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Rakija is the most popular spirit in Croatia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Travarica (herbal rakija) is usually served at the beginning of the meal, together with dried figs. The Croatian Adriatic coast is known for a great variety of herbal rakija, some typical for only one island or group of islands.<ref name="Łuczaj">Template:Cite journal</ref> The island Hvar is famous for rakija with the addition of Myrtus (mrtina—bitter and dark brown). Southern islands, such as Korčula, and the city of Dubrovnik are famous for rakija with anise (aniseta), and in central Dalmatia the most popular rakija is rakija with walnuts (orahovica). It's usually homemade, and served with dry cookies or dried figs. In the summer, it's very typical to see huge glass jars of rakija with nuts steeping in the liquid on every balcony, because the process requires the exposure of orahovica to the sun. In the northern Adriatic—mainly Istria—rakija is typically made of honey (medica) or mistletoe (biska). Biska, which is yellow-brown and sweet, is a typical liquor of Istria. In the interior of the country a spirit called šljivovica (shlivovitza) is made from plums, and one called viljamovka (viliam-ovka) is made from Williams pears. Croatia has EU Protected Geographical Indication of 6 rakija products (Zadarski maraschino, Hrvatska travarica, Hrvatski pelinkovac, Hrvatska stara šljivovica, Slavonska šljivovica and Hrvatska loza).<ref name="europa1"/>
GreeceEdit
In Greece, the most popular traditional Cretan spirit is known as tsikoudia (Greek: τσικουδιά). On the mainland, a similar spirit called tsipouro (Greek: τσίπουρο) is prevalent. Both tsikoudia and tsipouro are informally referred to as raki due to the Ottoman-era nomenclature when raki was a generic term describing distilled liquors, a term which informally remains in use today.
Cretan tsikoudia is a pomace brandy made by single distilling grapes after most of their juice has been extracted to produce wine and having left them to ferment in barrels. Special permits are given from late October until the end of November to produce tsikoudia at home in Cretan villages. Unlike tsipouro, tsikoudia is not twice distilled and does not contain anise. It is commonly served cold as an apéritif with seafood and meze, usually referred to as rakomezedes, or as a complimentary digestif with spoon sweets or fruit after a meal.
Tsikoudia is an integral element of the island’s culture, identified by many as "the national drink of Crete" and linked to hospitality.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
SerbiaEdit
Rakija (Template:Lang-sr-cyr) is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in Serbia.<ref name="novosti.rs">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is the national drink of Serbia.<ref name="Rakia, The Serbian National Drink">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to Dragan Đurić, President of the Association of Producers of Natural Spirits, the EU protects the names of beverages by allowing the prefix Serbian.<ref name="novosti.rs"/> In Serbia there are 10,000 private producers of rakija. Two thousand are on the official register and only about a hundred cellars produce high-quality spirit.<ref name="novosti.rs"/> The most popular rakijas in Serbia are: "sljivovica"-it is made from plum, apricot rakija and pear rakija. Belgrade is the site of a Rakija museum.<ref name="dailybeast">Template:Cite news</ref> A 14th century Serbian source is the earliest confirmation of Rakija-making.<ref name="Edmonds" />
TurkeyEdit
Raki or rakı (Template:IPAc-en, Template:IPAc-en, Template:IPAc-en, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is an unsweetened, occasionally (depending on area of production) anise-flavoured, alcoholic drink considered to be a national drink in Turkey.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It is popular in Iran, Turkic countries, and in the Balkan countries as an apéritif. It is often served with seafood or meze. It is comparable to several other alcoholic beverages available around the Mediterranean and the Middle East, such as pastis, ouzo, sambuca, arak and aguardiente.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Ritual useEdit
At the end of the Orthodox Christian burial service, at the exit from the cemetery, visitors are offered a piece of soda bread (pogača) and a glass of rakia.<ref name="Piercy">Template:Cite book</ref> When drinking "for the soul" of the deceased, one spills some rakia on the ground, saying "May God receive this for her/him", before drinking the rest.<ref name="Piercy" />
It is also used as a sacramental element by the Bektashi Order,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Alevi Jem ceremonies, where it is not considered alcoholic and is referred to as "dem".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
TypesEdit
There are many kinds of rakia, depending on the fruit it is produced from:
| Fruits | Bulgaria | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia | Greece | Albania and Kosovo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic types | ||||
| plum (slivovitz) | сливова (slivova) сливовица (slivovitsa) | šljivovica, шљивовица, шливка, сливка | Κουμπλόρακο (Ρακί κορόμηλου) / Raki koromilou | Raki Kumbulle |
| grapes | гроздова (grozdova) гроздовица (grozdovitsa) мускатова (muskatova) |
лозова (lozova), lozovača/loza, лозова ракија/лозовача/лоза | Σταφυλόρακη (ρακί σταφυλής) / raki stafylis | Raki Rrushi |
| grape pomace (kom){{#if:|{{{2}}}|[1]}} |
джиброва (dzhibrova) джибровица (dzhibrovitsa) шльокавица (shlyokavitsa) |
komovica, комова ракија/комовица | Τσίπουρο-Τσικουδιά (ρακί στεμφύλων σταφυλής) / tsipouro-tsikoudia (raki stemfylon stafylis) | Raki Bërsi |
| apricot | кайсиева (kaysieva) | mareličarka, kajsijevača, кајсијевача | Ρακί βερίκοκου / raki verikokou | Raki Kajsie |
| peach | прасковена (praskovena) | rakija od breskve, ракија од брескве, breskavica | Ρακί ροδάκινου / raki rodakinou | Raki Pjeshke |
| pear | крушoва (krushova) | kruškovača/vilijamovka, крушковача/виљамовка, крушка | Ρακί αχλαδιού / raki achladiou | Raki Dardhe |
| apple | ябълкова (yabalkova) | jabukovača, јабуковача | Ρακί μήλου / raki milou | Raki Molle |
| mulberry | черничева (chernicheva) црница (tsrnitsa) |
dudova rakija/dudovača/dudara, дудова ракија/дудовача/дудара | Ρακί απο σκάμνια, ρακί μούρων / raki apo skamnia, raki mouron | Raki Mëni |
| quince | дюлева (dyuleva) | dunjevača, дуњевача | Ρακί κυδωνιού / raki kydoniou | Raki Ftoji |
| fig | смокинова (smokinova) | smokovača, смоквача | Συκόρακη, Ρακί σύκου / Sykoraki, Raki sykou | Raki fiku |
| cherry | черешова (chereshova) | trešnjevača | Ρακί κερασιού / raki kerasiou | Raki qershie |
| mixed fruits | плодова (plodova) | — | Ρακί φρούτων / raki frouton | — |
| with sour cherries | вишновка (vishnovka) | višnjevac/višnjevača, вишњевача | Βυσνόρακι, Ρακί βύσσινου / Visnoraki, raki vyssinou | Raki Vishnje |
| With additions | ||||
| with roses | гюлова (gyulova) | ružica | — | — |
| with herbs | билкова (bilkova) | travarica, траварица/trava | — | — |
| with bilberries | — | borovnička, боровничка | — | Raki Boronice |
| with juniper | klekovača, клековача | — | Raki Dëllinje | |
| with honey{{#if:|{{{2}}}|[2]}} | медена (medena) | medenica, medovača, medica, medenjača, zamedljana (very popular in Istria—a region in Croatia), медовача/medovača, medovice | Ρακόμελο / rakomelo | Raki e Pjekur |
| with anise | анасонлийка (anasonliyka) | mastika, мастика | Τσίπουρο με γλυκάνισο / tsipouro me glykaniso | — |
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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