Rakia
Rakia, rakija, rakiya, or rachiu , 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.
Overview
Rakia is produced from fermented and distilled fruits, typically plums and grapes, but also apricots, pears, cherries or raspberries. Other fruits less commonly used are peaches, apples, figs, blackberries, and quince. Common flavours are šljivovica and țuică, produced from plums, 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.Plum and grape rakia are sometimes mixed with other ingredients, such as herbs, honey, sour cherries and walnuts, after distillation.
By country
Albania
Raki is a traditional drink in Albania. Until the 19th century, meyhanes would serve wine or meze.Bulgaria
Bulgaria cites an old piece of pottery from the 14th century in which the word rakiya is inscribed. The inscription on it reads: “I have celebrated with rakia.” 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. 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, historians believe this indicates that rakiya did originally come from Bulgaria. The EU recognizes 12 brands of Bulgarian rakiya through the Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication marks, which protect the name of products from a specific region that follow a traditional production process.Croatia
Rakija is the most popular spirit in Croatia. Travarica 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. The island Hvar is famous for rakija with the addition of Myrtus. Southern islands, such as Korčula, and the city of Dubrovnik are famous for rakija with anise, and in central Dalmatia the most popular rakija is rakija with walnuts. 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 or mistletoe. Biska, which is yellow-brown and sweet, is a typical liquor of Istria. In the interior of the country a spirit called šljivovica is made from plums, and one called viljamovka is made from Williams pears.Croatia has EU Protected Geographical Indication of 6 rakija products.
Greece
In Greece, the most popular traditional Cretan spirit is known as tsikoudia. On the mainland, a similar spirit called tsipouro 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.
Serbia
Rakija is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in Serbia. It is the national drink of Serbia. The first legal and official rakija distillery, Bojkovčanka, was established in 1985 about 10 miles south of Belgrade. 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. 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. 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. A 14th century Serbian source is the earliest confirmation of Rakija-making.Turkey
Rakiya is also consumed in Turkey, but is far less popular than other distilled spirits or wine.Ritual use
At the end of the Orthodox Christian burial service, at the exit from the cemetery, visitors are offered a piece of soda bread and a glass of rakia. 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.It is also used as a sacramental element by the Bektashi Order, and Alevi Jem ceremonies, where it is not considered alcoholic and is referred to as "dem".