Ratafia
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Ratafia is a liqueur or cordial flavoured with peach or cherry kernels, bitter almonds, or other fruits; many different varieties are made. The same name is given to a flavouring essence resembling bitter almonds, and also to a light biscuit. It is also a cordial made from a mix of marc brandy and the unfermented juice of the grape. [1]
The flavorings can potentially make this liqueur toxic, as peach and cherry kernels contain high levels of hydrogen cyanide (about 1.7 mg per gram of kernel), as do bitter almonds (2.5 mg/g).[1].
The name 'ratafia' might be adapted from the French of the 17th century. Walter William Skeat (Etym. Dict., 1910) quotes as a possible origin a combination of Malay araq, arak, and tafia, rum. An alternative etymology proposes that the name derives from a custom of drinking to the ratification of a deal or treaty.
Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery in Beamsville, Ontario (Niagara Region) is currently the only Canadian producer of Ratafia.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- | FAO report on agricultural products containing cyanide
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