Rakija
Barry Grau
bottle is labelled in English as "Immature Grape Brandy" which I am told is
simply the translation of Lozova Rakija which I am told can also be called
Lozovica similar to the way that plum brandy is called Slivovica. To me
it tasted similar to Italian grappa with a vague grape taste that was almost
imperceptible, but less rough than grappa. I think it was 80 proof. Is this
roughly the same thing as the rakija drunk in Bulgaria?
Thanks
Barry Grau (gr...@uic.edu)
Donald Martinich
: I recently tasted something labeled "Lozova Rakija" from Montenegro. The
My father and his family, who are from Croatia, used the word rakija to
refer to any distilled spirit (e.g.whiskey). Pomace brandy, or grappa in
Italian, was also called rakija. The aged stuff was called vinjak. When
you are dealing with this part off the world you can always expect
inconsistencies in usage. I have been told that as you go east into the
mysterious orient (east of the Vardar) that rakija is an anise flavored
spirit similar to ouzo.
D.M.
Evrim
Barry Grau
>Does this have any relation to Turkish Raki?
>
Here's what the OED says:
Oxford English Dictionary - raki
Copyright Oxford University Press
raki r<e>'ki:, 'ræki:. Forms: 7 racckee, 8 rakia, 8-9 rakie, 9 rackee,
ra(k)kee, 7-
raki.
Etymology: a. Turkish raqi (whence also mod. Gr. rakh, raki) brandy, spirits.
Orig., an aromatic liquor made from grain-spirit, or from grape-juice, used in
Greece
and the Levant. Now also used of a liquor made from other ingredients (see
quot. 1959)
in various countries of eastern Europe and the Middle East; a drink of glass
of this.
1675 Teonge Diary (1825) 96 - [We] drinke to our friends in England in
racckee
at night.
1775 R. Chandler Trav. Asia Minor lxxv. 255 - Not far from us were booths
of
the Turcomans... Some of them joined us, and one or two wanted rakí or
brandy.
1777 Ann. Reg. ii. 47 - They distil from the fruits of trees..a sort of
brandy, called
rakie.
1835 Marryat Pacha i, - Sherbet I cannot drink, rakee I must not.
1845 E. Warburton Crescent & Cross I. xxvi. 295 - Their dram is distilled
from
rice, and called Raki.
1873 Tristram Moab x. 192 - The only levy on our stores had been four
bottles of
raki.
1919 E. H. Jones Road to En-Dor iii. 34, - I..poured myself out a tot of
Raki from
Alec's bottle.
1933 G. Orwell Down & out in London & Paris xvi. 122 - Raki, the Arab
drink,
was very cheap.
1941 R. West Black Lamb (1942) I. 410 - Raki, the colourless brandy loved
by
Slavs.
1956 R. Macaulay Towers of Trebizond xii. 125 - We had supper at the khan,
and
sat on there smoking and sipping raki..while Turks played tric-trac at
little tables
beneath the trees.
1959 W. James Word-bk. Wine 154 - Raki, a fairly general name for spirits
in
Balkan countries; it may be made from wine, grain, molasses, potatoes,
plums, and
so on; in Turkey it is a spirit resembling Pernod, which goes milky when
diluted.
1969 J. Mavor Voyage to Atlantis ix. 206 - The old woman with two
eye-teeth
brought us raki or tsipuro, a 40-proof sort of grappa.
1980 M. Bar-Zohar Deadly Document ix. 158 - He sat down and ordered a
raki.
Barry Grau (gr...@uic.edu)
Svetoslav Tzvetkov
> In article <35C94C4B...@REMOVEMEacpub.duke.edu>, Evrim <e...@REMOVEMEacpub.duke.edu> wrote:
> >Does this have any relation to Turkish Raki?
> >
>
> Here's what the OED says:
>
> Oxford English Dictionary - raki
>
> Copyright Oxford University Press
>
> raki r<e>'ki:, 'ræki:. Forms: 7 racckee, 8 rakia, 8-9 rakie, 9 rackee,
> ra(k)kee, 7-
> raki.
>
> Etymology: a. Turkish raqi (whence also mod. Gr. rakh, raki) brandy, spirits.
Hello,The Turkish raki is not similar to the rakia, that is very popular in Bulgaria, Romania, and
probably in
the former Yugoslav repubilcs.
From my experience, I'd rather say that it is similar to the greek 'Ouzo', which is also similar
to
the Bulgarian 'menta' (the difference is that the menta is green, but the taste is similar).
The rakia is a very strong alcoholic beverage (Sometimes even stronger than vodka).
The two original types of rakia are 'Plum Rakia' and 'Grape Rakia'. But it can be made from other
fruits
such as apples and pears.
Art Simon
> Does this have any relation to Turkish Raki?
[tera-ships]
Well, seems we're full circle now, back in Turkey
and Lebanon. To answer the "?" , yes Ouzo, Turkish
raki and Lebanese are all anise flavored liquors...
A- <-- who loves his lion'*s milk*
Isadora S Cohen
Svetoslav Tzvetkov <svet...@mit.edu> wrote:
>Hello,The Turkish raki is not similar to the rakia, that is very popular in Bulgaria, Romania, and
>probably in
>the former Yugoslav repubilcs.
[snip]
>The rakia is a very strong alcoholic beverage (Sometimes even stronger than vodka).
>The two original types of rakia are 'Plum Rakia' and 'Grape Rakia'. But it can be made from other
>fruits
>such as apples and pears.
I don't know about other countries, but in Romania the plum stuff is called
"tuica", the grape stuff "rakiu" and something or other "palinka", this is
the point where it gets confusing for me (sp holds for al Romanian words, as
usual)
-I.
magn...@hotmail.com
> From my experience, I'd rather say that it is similar to the greek 'Ouzo',
which is also similar
> to
> the Bulgarian 'menta' (the difference is that the menta is green, but the
taste is similar).
I'd say the greek Ouzo is similar to the bulgarian rakia 'anasonliika'
(similar to the 'mastika' too) which is distilled mainly in the southern
regions of Bulgaria.
Regardzzz:-)
Theo
P.S. Cheers!
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Barry Grau
>I don't know about other countries, but in Romania the plum stuff is called
>"tuica", the grape stuff "rakiu" and something or other "palinka", this is
>the point where it gets confusing for me (sp holds for al Romanian words, as
>usual)
The eastern European Jews I grew up among called the plum stuff slivovitz. My
friends from Bulgaria and Serbia call it slivovica. They tell me sliva means
plum. We drank it during pesach (passover) because scotch and rye whiskey are
forbidden, being made from grains. (By the way, I have heard it said that
J&B stands for Jewish Booze.) The grown ups kind of made fun of slivovitz like
it was rough tasting and very strong. Today, atheistic New York Jew though I
am, I still get nostalgic for it during pesach.
Where does slivovica's faint yellow color come from? Added coloring? Aging?
Barry Grau (gr...@uic.edu)
Michael Pronay
>Where does slivovica's faint yellow color come from?
>Added coloring? Aging?
Normally cask ageing, but it might also come from the cork (alcohol
dissolving some of the lignine elements of the corks) plus the
influence of light.
In German, Slibowitz/Sliwowitz is spelled without the final a. In
Viennese dialect it becomes "Schligowitz".
Michael
Michael Pronay
>. . . and something or other "palinka", this is
>the point where it gets confusing for me . . .
"palinka", iirc, is Hungarian for spirit, the equivalent
of the German "schnaps". So "barack palinka" is
apricot brandy.
Michael
(Vienna, Austria -- quite close to what used to be
the Austro-Hungarian Empire . . .)
Svetoslav Tzvetkov
> In article <35C9FC7B...@mit.edu>,
> Svetoslav Tzvetkov <svet...@mit.edu> wrote:
> > From my experience, I'd rather say that it is similar to the greek 'Ouzo',
> which is also similar
> > to
> > the Bulgarian 'menta' (the difference is that the menta is green, but the
> taste is similar).
> I'd say the greek Ouzo is similar to the bulgarian rakia 'anasonliika'
> (similar to the 'mastika' too) which is distilled mainly in the southern
> regions of Bulgaria.
You are right. I meant 'mastika', not 'menta'. That was a typo. Thanks.
The reason for the typo is that I was thinking about the cocktail
some people make by mixing menta and mastika. Oh, and the mastika is not
green, of course :)
S.
Svetoslav Tzvetkov
> Where does slivovica's faint yellow color come from? Added coloring? Aging?
>
Initially slivovica is colorless, the yellow color comes from the oak wood.As a kid, I have witnessed
slivovica home distillation, and I remember that
the liquid drips from a wooden stick that is stuffed into the end pipe of
the distilling "aparatus". (I don't remember details of this construction)
The coloring may also come from the oak barrels in which slivovica is traditionally
stored.
And a third method that I have observed is, if the rakia is bottled colorless right
away after the distillation, people just put a small piece of oak wood in each bottle.
Apart from the color, I believe, the oak wood also contributes to the flavor of the rakia.
Sometimes chestnut wood is used instead of oak wood.
Cheers!
Svetoslav
GOSPODBOG
Svetoslav Tzvetkov wrote in message <35C9FC7B...@mit.edu>...
>Barry Grau wrote:
>
>> In article <35C94C4B...@REMOVEMEacpub.duke.edu>, Evrim
<e...@REMOVEMEacpub.duke.edu> wrote:
>> >Does this have any relation to Turkish Raki?
>> >
>>
>> Here's what the OED says:
>>
>> Oxford English Dictionary - raki
>>
>> Copyright Oxford University Press
>>
>> raki r<e>'ki:, 'ræki:. Forms: 7 racckee, 8 rakia, 8-9 rakie, 9 rackee,
>> ra(k)kee, 7-
>> raki.
>>
>> Etymology: a. Turkish raqi (whence also mod. Gr. rakh, raki) brandy,
spirits.
>
>Hello,The Turkish raki is not similar to the rakia, that is very popular in
Bulgaria, Romania, and
>probably in
>the former Yugoslav repubilcs.
>From my experience, I'd rather say that it is similar to the greek 'Ouzo',
which is also similar
>to
>the Bulgarian 'menta' (the difference is that the menta is green, but the
taste is similar).
Just a little correction. The "Ouzo" I have tried, numerous times I should
add, is the same as Bulgarian "Mastika", or as they call it in the States -
"Anisette". The Bulgarian "menta" is "Mint liquor" and I would recommend it
in a 50/50 mix with "Mastika", that will guarantee to cloud your mind, if
you catch my drift. No wonder they call this coctail "Cloud" in Bulgaria.
Just make sure the ingredients are chilled to the freezing mark. Enjoy!
Emil Angelov
wrote:
>Does this have any relation to Turkish Raki?
>
I believe the name "rakija" comes from the turkish "rakq" (q= "uh")
which in turn comes from the mid-eastern "arak"- by default it
contains anise seed oil (I should know, I drinking it right now).
Nowadays, the most commonly (ab)used rakiya in bg is made out of
grapes (grappa!?) and does have any anise flavour in it .
By the way, in the countryside of bg they still do make brandy of the
kind you refer to, just they call it "anasonlijka".
e
Peter....@turner.com
(By the way, I have heard it said that
>J&B stands for Jewish Booze.)
J&B stands for Justerini & Brooks. They started up as a firm of wine merchants
based in St. James's Street in London, and are now part of the Diageo group
(Guiness/GrandMet).
Rgds
PP
Barry Grau
>Barry Grau wrote in message <6qf7e3$1m62$1...@piglet.cc.uic.edu>...
>(By the way, I have heard it said that
>>J&B stands for Jewish Booze.)
>
>J&B stands for Justerini & Brooks. They started up as a firm of wine merchants
This was a joke. It is the scotch that NY Jews drink most often. At least it
was when I was a kid.
Barry Grau (gr...@uic.edu)
Margarita
In the old Chekoslovakia I was waiting for a train a bought some
(cherry) czeank? Palinka.
I don't have the bottle in front of me, but I still have it somewhere.
Boy was this stuff strong, something like flavored lighter fluid, but I
shared it with
some new friends and a good time was had by all..(until the next day :(
Margarita
--
To reply: Delete the words REMOVETHIS
Borislav Simov
>magn...@hotmail.com wrote:
>> In article <35C9FC7B...@mit.edu>,
>> Svetoslav Tzvetkov <svet...@mit.edu> wrote:
>> > From my experience, I'd rather say that it is similar to the greek 'Ouzo',
>> which is also similar
>> > to
>> > the Bulgarian 'menta' (the difference is that the menta is green, but the
>> taste is similar).
>> I'd say the greek Ouzo is similar to the bulgarian rakia 'anasonliika'
>> (similar to the 'mastika' too) which is distilled mainly in the southern
>> regions of Bulgaria.
>You are right. I meant 'mastika', not 'menta'. That was a typo. Thanks.
>The reason for the typo is that I was thinking about the cocktail
>some people make by mixing menta and mastika. Oh, and the mastika is not
>green, of course :)
V kazarmata na tozi kokteil mu vikaha "oblak".
>S.
--
Borislav Simov, Graduate Student in Computer Science
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
http://www.cs.iastate.edu/~simov/homepage.html