Slivovitz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Slivovitz (Germanization from the Slavic word for plum, sliva[citation needed]) is a strong alcoholic beverage primarily made of distilled fermented plum juice though, similar to Irish poteen, it is often home-distilled out of a variety of source materials, up to and including grass and other organic material.[citation needed] It is similar to brandy and sometimes called plum brandy in English and is part of the category of drinks called rakia. The alcohol content can vary from 25–70% by volume, but most store-bought varieties are 40–45%.[citation needed]
It is the national drink of Serbia and most of the Slavic Balkan states, where about 70% of plum production (average 424,300 tonnes per year (FAO 1991–2001) goes into slivovitz.[citation needed] Export producers in Serbia such as Imperia, STEFAN NEMANJA Flores and Stara Sokolova generally age their sljivovica between 5–12 years in oak barrels.[citation needed] In the Falcon Region of Serbia, the tradition of growing and processing plums always had the highest priority.[citation needed] Plums are eaten fresh, dried for the winter and used for making jam but 80% of the plum crops are used for producing sljivovica.[citation needed] Today, the drink is viewed with great pride by the household producer whereas in the past it was also the basis of economic wealth.[citation needed] At a time when money was not reliable and banks were either in trouble or non existent, sljivovica was a means for a people to save for the future. A well aged sljivovica would increase in quality and value.[citation needed]
Some producers have obtained a Hechsher for their slivovitz.[1]
Rakia is supposed to be drunk from special small glasses (0.3 to 0.5 dl). It is often drunk warm, sometimes even heated (sugar is caramelized in a pan before the rakia is added) for better effect.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Distilling process
In the manufacturing process, the plums and a liberal proportion of the ground kernels are first crushed and pressed, then starch and sugar are added to the juice and the mixture is allowed to ferment. Distillation gives the crude product, and clarifying processes complete the liqueur, but aging is required to develop its finer qualities. Its pleasing flavor is due largely to the plum kernels, which contain a considerable percentage of amygdalin, the characteristic component of bitter almonds.[2]
Slivovitz, like some of the other rakias, is kept in wooden barrels (oak or mulberry) for an extra aroma and the colour (golden brownish). Commercial distillers may use oak chips, toasted oak chips, or mulberry chips when aging slivovitz in glass or stainless steel tanks for flavor or coloring.[citation needed]
There are three major classes of slivovitz: aged in wood, aged in glass, and sweet. Sweet slivovitz is the result of maceration of fruit in the slivovitz after distillation. Plum Brandy is a variant of slivovitz produced by removing the plum pits prior to fermentation. This results in a loss of the characteristic 'pit bite' – the astringency contributed by the kernels – and a relatively blander product.[citation needed]
Imitation Slivovitz is made by flavoring spirits with prune juice and artificial oil of bitter almonds.[2]
[edit] Designation of origin
Following the claims of several nations to the protected designation of origin, in October 2007 the European Union went for a compromise solution, leaving "slivovitz" as a generic name, and granting individual nations the right to protect the origin with their own adjective.[3] Thus, "Serbian Slivovitz" (Srpska šljivovica) will become Serbia's first certified national brand.[4]
[edit] In Pop Culture
In the 1990 film Avalon it is mentioned as the only thing that the patriarch of the family would drink after he emigrated to America.[5]
Slivovitz is the preferred drink of Yvone in Amy and David Sedaris's The Book of Liz (2001).[citation needed]
The group Andra Generationen participated in the swedish music contest Melodifestivalen 2008 with a song called Kebabpizza Slivovitza.[6]
[edit] References
 |
This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since May 2008. |
|
|
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008) |
- ^ Rudolf Jelínek: Kosher production. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ a b Ward, Artemas (1911). "Slivovitz". The Grocer's Encyclopedia. 567. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ Problemi oko izvoza šljivovice (Serbian). B92 (2007-10-01). Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
- ^ Slivovitz becomes Serbia’s first brand. B92 (2007-01-1). Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
- ^ Trivia for Avalon. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
- ^ Viniker, Barry (2007-12-11). Melodifestivalen line-up complete. esctoday. Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 edition of The Grocer's Encyclopedia.
