Rakia

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Rakia

Rakia (also rakija) is fruit brandy

Brandy

Brandy is a distilled_beverage produced by Distillation wine, the wine having first been produced by Fermentation grapes. Brandy contains 36%?60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink....
that is produced by distillation

Distillation

Distillation is a method of separation process mixtures based on differences in their Volatility in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
of fermented

Fermentation (food)

Fermentation in food processing typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast under anaerobic conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids....
fruit; it is a popular beverage throughout the Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans is the historical name of a geographic subregion of southeastern Europe. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains, which run through the centre of Bulgaria into eastern Serbia....
, Italy, and France. Its alcohol content is normally 40% ABV

ABV

ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...
, but home-produced rakia can be stronger (typically 50% to 60%). Prepecenica is double-distilled rakia which has an alcohol content that may exceed 60%.

Rakia is considered to be the national drink among some of the South Slavic peoples

South Slavs

The South Slavs are a southern branch of the Slavic peoples that live in the Balkans mainly throughout the former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the southern Pannonian Plain, the eastern Alps and the Balkans and they speak South Slavic languages....
.

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Encyclopedia

Rakia (also rakija) is fruit brandy

Brandy

Distillation

Fermentation (food)

Balkans

ABV

South Slavs

Slivovitz

Slivovitz is a distilled beverage made from Damson plums. It is frequently called plum brandy If anyone else has a dictionary of some Slavic language that translates your word for slivovitz as "plum brandy", please add additional citations here. and is part of the category of drinks called rakia....
, produced from plum

Plum

A plum or gage is a drupe tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and the side buds solitary , the flowers being grouped 1-5 together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one side, and a smooth stone....
s and grozdova (also called lozovaca), made from grape

Grape

File:Table grapes on white.jpgA grape is the non-Climacteric #In_botany fruit that grows on the Perennial plant and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis....
s. Fruits less commonly used are peach

Peach

The peach is known as a species of Prunus native to China that bears an edible juicy fruit also called a peach. It is a deciduous tree growing to 5?10 m tall, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae....
es, apricot

Apricot

The Apricot is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation, but most likely in northern and western China and Central Asia, possibly also Korea and Japan....
s, apple

APPLE

This article is about the satellite APPLE. For the fruit apple, see Apple. For other uses see Apple .The Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment , was an experimental communication satellite with a C-Band transponder launched by Indian Space Research Organisation satellite on June 19, 1981 by Ariane 1, a launch vehicle of the European Spac...
s, pear

Pear

The pear is an edible pome fruit produced by a tree of genus Pyrus . The pear is classified within Maloideae, a subfamily within Rosaceae. The apple , which it resembles in floral structure, is also a member of this subfamily....
s, cherry

Cherry

The word cherry refers to a fleshy fruit that contains a single stony seed. The cherry belongs to the family Rosaceae, genus Prunus, along with almonds, peaches, plums, apricots and bird cherry ....
, fig

FIG

FIG may refer to:* F?d?ration Internationale de Gymnastique* International Federation of Surveyors...
s, and quince

Quince

The Quince , or Cydonia oblonga, is the sole member of the genus Cydonia and native to warm-temperate southwest Asia in the Caucasus region....
s. There is a mixed fruits rakia in Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans....
, Bulgaria

Bulgaria

The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....
also. In Istria

Istria

File:Istria Croatian Adriatic.pngIstria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner....
, however, rakia is made exclusively from grapes, where the drink is also known locally as trapa or grappa (the latter name also being used in Italy). Plum and grape rakia are sometimes mixed with other ingredients, such as herbs, honey, sour cherries and walnuts, after distillation.

Rakia in languages other than English

, , , , , , , , , , , , .

General

Normally, rakia is colorless, unless herbs or other ingredients are added. Some types of rakia are kept in wooden barrels (oak

Oak

The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of about 400 species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus , which are listed in the List of Quercus species, and some related genera, notably Lithocarpus....
or mulberry

Mulberry

Morus or Mulberry is a genus of 10?16 species of deciduous trees native to warm, temperate, and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, with the majority of the species native to Asia....
) for extra aroma and a golden colour.

It is supposed to be drunk from special small glasses which hold from 0.3 to 0.5 dl.

A popular myth is that one can tell the strength of rakia by the size of the ring of bubbles (venac) which forms when the bottle is well shaken. This is also mistakenly used as a measure of the quality of the liquor

In Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Republic of Macedonia

The Republic of Macedonia , , often referred to simply as Macedonia, is a landlocked country on the Balkans in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west....
, rakia is generally served with shopska salad

Shopska salad

Shopska salad is a Shopi dish popular in Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Albania and the Czech Republic. It is made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, raw or roasted Capsicums , and sirene ....
, milk salad

Milk salad

Milk salad is made of strained yogurt, cucumber, and garlic.In Serbian and Croatian, this tzatziki-like side-dish is called "Crimean Tatars Salata", or "Tatar Salad", possibly related to tartar sauce because of a similar composition....
, pickled vegetables (turshiya

Turshiya

File:Tursu.jpg#fileTursu refers to pickling vegetables in the cuisine of many Balkan and Middle East countries. "Torshi" originally comes from the Persian word "Torsh", which means "sour"....
) or other salads, which form the first course of the meal. Muskatova rakiya is made from Muscat

Muscat (grape and wine)

The muscat family of grapes of the species Vitis vinifera is widely grown for wine, raisins and table grapes. Their color ranges from white to near black....
grapes, while the preparation method of dzhibrova rakiya is the same as for Italian Grappa

Grappa

Grappa is a fragrant grape-based pomace brandy of between 37.5% and 60% alcohol by volume , of Italy origin. Literally "grape stalk", most grappa is made by distillation pomace and grape residue left over from winemaking after pressing....
.

In Croatia, travarica (herbal rakia) 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 grappas, some typical for only one island or group of islands. The island Hvar is famous for grappa with the addition of myrrh (mrtina — bitter and dark brown). Southern islands, such as Korcula, and the city of Dubrovnik are famous for grappa with anise (aniseta), and in central Dalmatia the most popular rakia is grappa with nuts (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 grappa 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 — rakia is typically made of honey

Honey

Honey is a sweet fluid produced by honey bees , and derived from the nectar of flowers. According to the United States National Honey Board and various international food regulations, "honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance?this includes, but is not limited to, water or other sweeteners...
(medica) or mistletoe

Mistletoe

Mistletoe is the common name for a group of parasitic plant plants in the Order Santalales that grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub....
(biska). Biska, which is yellow-brown and sweet, is a typical liquor of Istria.

Another popular way of serving is "cooked" (Croatian: kuhana, Serbian: kuvana or grejana) rakia (also called Šumadija
Šumadija

?umadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area was heavily forested, hence the name . The city of Kragujevac is the center of the region, and the administrative center of the ?umadija District in Central Serbia....
tea in Serbia), which is heated and sweetened with honey or sugar, with added spices. Heated in large kettles, it is often offered to visitors to various open-air festivities, especially in winter. It is similar to mulled wine

Mulled wine

Mulled wine, variations of which are popular around the world, is wine, usually red, combined with spices and typically served warm. In the old times, wine often went bad....
, as weaker brands of rakia are used (or stronger ones diluted with water).

Types of rakia

There are many kinds of rakia, depending on the fruit it is produced from:

Fruits	in former Yugoslavia	in Bulgaria
Basic types
plum Plum A plum or gage is a drupe tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and the side buds solitary , the flowers being grouped 1-5 together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one side, and a smooth stone.... (slivovitz Slivovitz Slivovitz is a distilled beverage made from Damson plums. It is frequently called plum brandy If anyone else has a dictionary of some Slavic language that translates your word for slivovitz as "plum brandy", please add additional citations here. and is part of the category of drinks called rakia.... )	šljivovica, ?????????	??????? (slivova) ????????? (slivovitsa)
grapes	lozovaca/loza, ?????? ??????/????????/????	???????? (grozdova) ?????????? (grozdovitsa) ????????? (muskatova) mrtina (with myrrh Myrrh Myrrh is a reddish-brown resinous material, the dried Plant sap of a number of trees, but primarily from Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia, the eastern parts of Ethiopia and Commiphora gileadensis, native to Jordan.... ) ??????????? (anasonliyka) (with anise Anise is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia known for its flavor that resembles licorice, fennel, and tarragon.... )
grape pomace Pomace Pomace is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after wine press for juice or oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit.... (kom) ^*	komovica, ?????? ??????/????????	???????? (dzhibrova) ?????????? (dzhibrovitsa) ?????????? (shlyokavitsa)
apricot Apricot The Apricot is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation, but most likely in northern and western China and Central Asia, possibly also Korea and Japan....	kajsijevaca, ???????????	???????? (kaysieva)
peach Peach The peach is known as a species of Prunus native to China that bears an edible juicy fruit also called a peach. It is a deciduous tree growing to 5?10 m tall, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae....	rakija od breskve ?????? ?? ???????	???????? (praskova)
pear Pear The pear is an edible pome fruit produced by a tree of genus Pyrus . The pear is classified within Maloideae, a subfamily within Rosaceae. The apple , which it resembles in floral structure, is also a member of this subfamily....	kruškovaca/vilijamovka, ??????????/?????????,??????	????o?? (krushova)
apple APPLE This article is about the satellite APPLE. For the fruit apple, see Apple. For other uses see Apple .The Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment , was an experimental communication satellite with a C-Band transponder launched by Indian Space Research Organisation satellite on June 19, 1981 by Ariane 1, a launch vehicle of the European Spac...	jabukovaca, ??????????	???????? (yabalkova)
mulberry Mulberry *Morus* or Mulberry is a genus of 10?16 species of deciduous trees native to warm, temperate, and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, with the majority of the species native to Asia....	dudova rakija/dudovaca/dudara, ?????? ??????/????????/??????	????????? (chernicheva)
quince Quince The Quince , or Cydonia oblonga, is the sole member of the genus Cydonia and native to warm-temperate southwest Asia in the Caucasus region....	dunjevaca, ????????	?????? (dyuleva)
fig FIG FIG may refer to:* F?d?ration Internationale de Gymnastique* International Federation of Surveyors...	smokvovaca, ????????	????????? (smokinova)
cherry Cherry The word cherry refers to a fleshy fruit that contains a single stony seed. The cherry belongs to the family Rosaceae, genus Prunus, along with almonds, peaches, plums, apricots and bird cherry ....	višnjevaca	???????? (chereshova)
mixed fruits	-	??????? (plodova)
With additions
with rose Rose A rose is a perennial plant flower shrub or vine of the genus *Rosa*, within the family Rosaceae, that contains over 100 species and comes in a variety of colors.... s	-	?????? (gyulova)
with herbs	travarica, ?????????/trava	??????? (bilkova)
with juniper Juniper Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus *Juniperus* of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the mountains of Central America....	klekovaca, ?????????	-	with walnut Walnut Walnuts are plants in the family Juglandaceae. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meter s tall , with pinnate leaves 200?900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnut but not the hickory in the same family.... s	orahovaca, ?????????/orahovica	?????? (orehche)
with honey Honey Honey is a sweet fluid produced by honey bees , and derived from the nectar of flowers. According to the United States National Honey Board and various international food regulations, "honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance?this includes, but is not limited to, water or other sweeteners... ^**	medovaca, medica (very popular in Istria Istria File:Istria Croatian Adriatic.pngIstria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner.... - a region in Croatia Croatia Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a Central European country at the crossroads of Pannonian Plain, Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea.... ), ????????/medovaca, medenica	????? (medna)
with sour cherries Sour Cherry The sour cherry is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cherry , native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. It is closely related to the wild cherry , also known as sweet cherry, but has a fruit that is more acidic and so is useful primarily for cooking....	višnjevac/višnjevaca, ?????????	???????? (vishnovka)

^* Kom or džibra is the fruity grape mash that remains after winemaking. It contains up to 5.5 litres of pure alcohol per 100 kg, and at least 40% dry matter.
^** Not to be confused with mead

Mead

Mead is a typically alcoholic beverage beverage, made from honey and water via Fermentation with yeast. Its alcoholic content may range from that of a mild ale to that of a strong wine....
, which is made solely of honey.

Ritual use

Although wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
is the essential part of the Eucharist

Eucharist

The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names, is a Christianity sacrament commemorating, by consecrating bread and wine, the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before his arrest, and eventual crucifixion, when he gave them bread saying, "This is my body", and wine...
rite in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches in the region, rakia has found uses in certain religious and related rituals across the Balkans.

At the end of the Orthodox Christian burial

Burial

Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over....
service, at the exit from the cemetery, visitors are offered a piece of soda bread

Soda bread

Soda bread is a type of quick bread in which baking soda is used for leavening rather than the more common yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, Sodium bicarbonate, salt, and buttermilk....
(pogaca) and a glass of rakia. When drinking "for the soul" of the deceased, one spills some rakia on the ground, saying (in Romanian

Romanian language

Romanian or Daco-Romanian ; self-designation: limba rom?na, ) is a Romance languages spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova....
, "Dumnezeu sa-i primeasca" (May God receive this for her/him), before drinking the rest.

During wedding

Wedding

File:Pimenov SvadbaOnTomorrowStreet.jpgA wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, country, and social classes....
ceremonies, the groom's father goes around all tables and offers a glass of rakia to all guests, sharing a toast

Toast (honor)

A toast is someone or something in honor of which people usually have a drink, the drink or honor itself, or the act of indicating that honor....
for the happiness of the newlyweds. In general, in the Balkans, rakia is offered to guests in one's home as a welcoming gesture.

Drinks similar to rakia

Raki
Raki (alcoholic beverage)

Raki is a non-sweet usually anise-flavored ap?ritif that is produced by twice Distillation either only suma or suma that has been mixed with Ethanol in traditional copper alembics of 5000 litres volume or less with aniseed....
, an anise
Anise

is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia known for its flavor that resembles licorice, fennel, and tarragon....
-flavored liquor in Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
Tsikoudia
Tsikoudia

Tsikoudia or raki is a grape-based spirit from the island of Crete in Greece, very similar to tsipouro, made from the distillation of pomace, i.e., the pieces of grapes that were pressed for the winemaking process....
a similar drink in Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
, especially Crete
Crete

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the List of islands in the Mediterranean largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km? ....
Tsipouro
Tsipouro

Tsipouro is a distilled alcoholic beverage, more precisely a pomace brandy, from Greece and in particular Thessaly , Epirus , Macedonia , and the island of Crete, where the same spirit with a stronger aroma is known as tsikoudia....
, an alcoholic beverage of Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
Tuica
Tuica

Tuica , is a traditional Romanian distilled beverage, usually made from plums."?uica" is officially, after the Romanian standards for drinks, the name for the drink prepared only from plums....
, a similar drink in Romania
Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
.
Palinka
Palinka

Palinka is a traditional, double-distilled Brandy#Fruit brandy that is produced in Hungary and in Transylvania....
, a similar drink made in Hungary
Hungary

Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
and Romania
Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
.
Mead
Mead

Mead is a typically alcoholic beverage beverage, made from honey and water via Fermentation with yeast. Its alcoholic content may range from that of a mild ale to that of a strong wine....
, an alcoholic drink made directly from honey
Grappa
Grappa

Grappa is a fragrant grape-based pomace brandy of between 37.5% and 60% alcohol by volume , of Italy origin. Literally "grape stalk", most grappa is made by distillation pomace and grape residue left over from winemaking after pressing....
, an alcoholic drink similar to komovica
Pisco
Pisco

'Pisco' is a South American Distilled beverage distilled from grapes. Developed by Spanish Empire settlers in the 16th century, it takes its name from the conical pottery in which it was originally aged, which was also the name of the city where it was produced: Pisco, Peru, in the Viceroyalty of Peru....
, South-American drink similar to vinovica.
Vodka
Vodka

Vodka is a distilled beverage. It is a clear liquid which consists of mostly water and ethanol purified by distillation ? often multiple distillation ? from a Fermentation substance, such as cereal , potatoes or sugar beet molasses, and an insignificant amount of other substances such as flavorings or unintended impurities....
, an alcoholic drink popular among East Slavs
East Slavs

The East Slavs are a Slavs, the speakers of East Slavic languages. Formerly the main population of the medieval state of Kievan Rus, by the seventeenth century they evolved into the Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Rusyns peoples....

External links

— article on the heritage of Rakija / Sljivovica