A traditional bottle of slivovitz, plum rakia

The drink rakia or rakija (Bulgarian: ракия; Macedonian and Serbian: ракија; Croatian, Slovenian and Bosnian: rakija) is hard liquor similar to brandy and vodka, made by distillation of fermented fruits, popular throughout the Balkans. Its alcohol content is normally 40%, but in home-produced rakia it can be higher, typically 50 to 60%. Prepečenica is double-distilled rakia, with alcohol content sometimes exceeding 60%. Brlja (literally "mess") is a popular name for cheap low-quality rakia. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1645x2219, 2376 KB) Summary Slivovitz by Algont of the Dutch Wikipedia. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1645x2219, 2376 KB) Summary Slivovitz by Algont of the Dutch Wikipedia. ... The Serbian language is one of the standard versions of the Å tokavian dialect (former standard was known as Serbo-Croatian language). ... Spirits redirects here. ... Brandy pot stills at the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar near Stellenbosch, South Africa Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn—fire wine) is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. ... Look up Vodka in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Vodka is a typically colorless liquor, always distilled from fermented grain or potatoes. ... Strathisla whisky distillery in Keith, Scotland Distillation is a method of separation of substances based on differences in their vapour pressures. ... Fermentation typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast. ... The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region of south-eastern Europe. ...

Rakia is considered to be the national drink among some of the South Slavic peoples: in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro. Its most common form, slivovitz, is produced from plum. Other common fruits are grapes, peaches, apricots, apples, figs, and quinces. Plum and grape rakia can also be mixed after distillation with other ingredients, such as herbs, honey, sour cherries and walnuts. Bosnia and Herzegovina (also variously written Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bosnia-Hercegovina) is a mountainous country in the western Balkans. ... Slivovitz (Serbian: шљивовица or šljivovica, Slovenian: slivovka, Croatian: šljivovica, Bosnian: šljivovica, Macedonian: slivova, Polish: śliwowica ; Romanian: şliboviţă; Bulgarian: сливова (slivova); Slovak: slivovica; Czech: slivovice) is a strong, colourless alcoholic beverage primarily made of distilled fermented plum juice, though similarly to poteen it is often home-brewed out of a variety of source... Species See text. ... Species Vitis acerifolia Vitis aestivalis Vitis amurensis Vitis arizonica Vitis x bourquina Vitis californica Vitis x champinii Vitis cinerea Vitis x doaniana Vitis girdiana Vitis labrusca Vitis x labruscana Vitis monticola Vitis mustangensis Vitis x novae-angliae Vitis palmata Vitis riparia Vitis rotundifolia Vitis rupestris Vitis shuttleworthii Vitis tiliifolia Vitis... Binomial name Prunus persica (L.) Batsch A peach dessert The Peach (Prunus persica) is a tree native to China that bears a juicy fruit of the same name. ... Binomial name Prunus armeniaca L. The Apricot (Prunus armeniaca, syn. ... This article is about the tree and its fruit; for other uses, see Apple (disambiguation). ... Species About 800, including: Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis- Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina- Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica- Common Fig Ficus citrifolia Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii Ficus lyrata Ficus macbrideii Ficus macrophylla- Moreton Bay Fig Ficus microcarpa- Chinese... Binomial name Cydonia oblonga Mill. ...

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

^ Kom or džibra is the fruity grape mash that remains after wine-making. 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, which is made solely of honey. Species See text. ... Slivovitz (Serbian: шљивовица or Å¡ljivovica, Slovenian: slivovka, Croatian: Å¡ljivovica, Bosnian: Å¡ljivovica, Macedonian: slivova, Polish: Å›liwowica ; Romanian: ÅŸliboviţă; Bulgarian: сливова (slivova); Slovak: slivovica; Czech: slivovice) is a strong, colourless alcoholic beverage primarily made of distilled fermented plum juice, though similarly to poteen it is often home-brewed out of a variety of source... Species Vitis acerifolia Vitis aestivalis Vitis amurensis Vitis arizonica Vitis x bourquina Vitis californica Vitis x champinii Vitis cinerea Vitis x doaniana Vitis girdiana Vitis labrusca Vitis x labruscana Vitis monticola Vitis mustangensis Vitis x novae-angliae Vitis palmata Vitis riparia Vitis rotundifolia Vitis rupestris Vitis shuttleworthii Vitis tiliifolia Vitis... Lees is the detritous of fermentation, consisting of dead yeast, fruit debris and schmutz. ... Binomial name Prunus armeniaca L. The Apricot (Prunus armeniaca, syn. ... Species About 30 species, including: Pyrus amygdaliformis Pyrus austriaca Pyrus balansae Pyrus betulifolia Pyrus bourgaeana Pyrus bretschneideri Pyrus calleryana Pyrus caucasica Pyrus communis Pyrus cordata Pyrus cossonii Pyrus elaeagrifolia Pyrus fauriei Pyrus kawakamii Pyrus korshinskyi Pyrus lindleyi Pyrus nivalis Pyrus pashia Pyrus persica Pyrus phaeocarpa Pyrus pyraster Pyrus pyrifolia Pyrus... This article is about the tree and its fruit; for other uses, see Apple (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Cydonia oblonga Mill. ... Species About 800, including: Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis- Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina- Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica- Common Fig Ficus citrifolia Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii Ficus lyrata Ficus macbrideii Ficus macrophylla- Moreton Bay Fig Ficus microcarpa- Chinese... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... Species See text The walnuts (genus Juglans) are plants in the walnut family Juglandaceae. ... Honey honey comb A capped frame of honeycomb Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid produced by bees and other insects from the nectar of flowers. ... Binomial name Prunus cerasus L. This article is about the Morello Cherry. ... Mead Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast. ...

Normally, rakia is colorless (unless herbs or other additives are added). Some of the types of rakia/rakija are kept in wooden barrels (oak or mulberry) for extra aroma and a golden colour. Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ... Species See text Mulberry (Morus) is a genus of 10–16 species of deciduous trees native to warm temperate and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and North America, with the majority of the species native to Asia. ...

Rakia/rakija is supposed to be drunk from special small glasses which hold from 0.3 to 0.5 dl.

In Yugoslavia people tell strength by venac (ring) of bubbles, which forms when rakia is being poured into the glass or bottle. Many mistake it for quality of rakia/rakija. Some say, if the first sip makes you want to have another, it's good rakia/rakija. Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all south Slavic languages, in Macedonian and Serbian Cyrillic Југославија) is a term used for three separate but successive political entities that existed during most of the 20th century on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. ...

In Bulgaria it is generally served with shopska salad, milk salad or pickled vegetables (turshiya). Another type of serving is "greyana" rakia, which is heated and sweetened with honey or sugar. Shopska salad Shopska salad or Shop salad (Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian: Шопска салата, Shopska salata) is popular in Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia. ... Milk salad is made of strained yogurt, cucumber, and garlic. ... In Bulgarian cuisine Turshiya means pickles. ...

Ritual use

Although wine is the essential part of the Eucharistic rites in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches in the region, rakia has found uses in certain religious and related rituals across the Balkans. Wine is an alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation of grapes and grape juice. ... The Eucharist or Communion or The Lords Supper, is the rite that Christians perform in fulfillment of Jesus instruction, recorded in the New Testament, to do in memory of him what he did at his Last Supper. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

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. When drinking "for the soul" of the deceased, one is supposed to spill some rakia to the ground before drinking the rest. Underwater funeral in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea from an edition with drawings by Alphonse de Neuville and Edouard Riou. ... Soda bread is a type of quick bread in which yeast has been substituted with baking soda. ...

During wedding ceremonies, the groom's father goes around all tables and offers a glass of rakia to all guests, sharing a toast for the happiness of the newlyweds. In general, rakia is offered to all guests as a welcome sign. The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ... An illustration of a rather cute groom. ... This article is about the honor; for other uses, see Toast (disambiguation). ...

Often, "cooked" (kuvana or greyana) rakia, heated in large kettles, is offered to visitors of various open-air festivities, especially in winter days. It is somewhat similar to mulled wine, as weaker brands of rakia are used (or stronger ones diluted with water), with added honey, sugar and spices. Mulled wine Mulled wine, also known by the German name Glühwein, the French name vin chaud, and the Italian name vin brulè, is wine, usually red wine, combined with spices and usually served hot. ...

Compare

• Rakı, an anise-flavored liqueur
• Ţuică, a similar drink in Romania.
• Palinka, a similar drink made in Hungary.
• Mead, an alcoholic drink made directly from honey