Raki (alcoholic beverage)

Rakı (Turkish rakı IPA ^*) is an anise-flavored liqueur that is highly popular in Turkey and is often associated with the country. It is produced by twice distilling either only suma or suma that has been mixed with ethyl alcohol in traditional copper alembics of 5000 lt volume or less with aniseed. It is similar to several kinds of alcoholic beverages available in the Mediterranean and parts of the Balkans, including pastis, sambuca, ouzo, tsikoudia, tsipouro, and mastika. The general consesus is that all these liqueurs are proceeders of arak, a similar arabic liqueur, but it remains a theory.

Rakı-water, the national drinking tradition, is called Aslan Sütü, meaning Lion's Milk in Turkish, milk because of it's color, and, lion as it stands for courageous, strong, a true man's beverage.

Etymology

In Turkish, rakı (written with a dotless i) refers to the beverage. However, the word derives from the Arabic عرق ^*, other variants being Araka, Araki, Ariki. There are many theories behind this beloved beverage's name. Some claim that it means "condensate". It has also been suggested that the word may derive from Iraq-ı, which could be translated into of-from Iraq. Another theory is, that, araq means sweat in Arabic, thus araqı meaning that which makes one sweat (If one drinks too much raki one does sweat and when raki is being distilled it falls drop by drop like sweat). But the origins of the word remain a mystery.

History

Until 19th century, meyhanes, mostly run by non-muslim Ottomans, would mainly serve wine along with meze. Although there were many Muslims among meyhane attendants, sharia authorities could, at times, persecute them. With the relatively liberal atmosphere of Tanzimat Turkey, meyhane attendance among Muslims rose considerably. However, believers would still approach wine with a certain suspicion. Raki, which at those times resembled arak, became a favourite among meyhane-goers. By the end of the century, raki took its current standard form and its consumption surpassed that of wine.

During the days of the Ottoman Empire raki was produced by distillation of grape pomace (cibre) obtained during wine fermentation. When the amount of pomace was not sufficient, alcohol imported from Europe would be added. If anise was not added, it would take the name düz rakı ("straight raki") or douziko (in Greek). Raki prepared with the addition of gum mastic was named sakız rakısı or mastika, especially produced on the island of Tenedos.

Mustafa Kemal (later to have his surname Atatürk), the founder of the Turkish Republic, had a great appreciation for the liquor and consumed vast quantities of it. During the first years of the Republic, the grape alcohol (named suma) began to be directly distilled from grapes by the state-owned sprits monopoly, Tekel. With the increasing sugar beet production , Tekel also began to distill the alcohol from molasses. A new brand of raki with an amount of sugar beet alcohol was called Yeni Rakı ("New Raki"). Molasses gave raki the famous bitter taste and helped it to become a table drink.

Types

The standard rakı is a grape product, though it may also be produced from various fruits. Raki produced from figs, particularly popular in southern provinces of Turkey, is called incir boğması, incir rakısı or, in Arabic, tini. Tekel ceased producing fig raki in 1947. However, to this day, it has been produced clandestinely.

Suma is generally produced from raisins but raki factories around established wine producing areas (Tekirdağ, Nevşehir, İzmir) may also prefer to use fresh grapes additionally, which help to obtain a better quality. Recently, the types of raki produced from fresh grapes, called yaş üzüm rakısı, have become quite popular. A recent brand, Efe Rakı, was the first company to produce raki exclusively of fresh grape suma, called Efe Yaş Üzüm Rakısı (Efe Fresh Grape Raki). Tekirdağ Altın Seri (Tekirdağ Golden Series) followed the trend and many others have been produced by other companies.

Dip Rakısı ("bottom raki") is the raki that is concentrated in the bottom layer of tanks during the standard production process. Bottom layer is the layer that is thought to capture the dense aroma and flavour of raki. It is named özel rakı ("special raki") and it is not presented to general consumption but kept at raki factories as a prestigious gift.

Brands

The most well known brands are Yeni Rakı and Tekirdağ Rakısı from the region of Tekirdağ, which is famous for its characteristic flavour. The secret of this flavour is the artesian water from Çorlu, used in the production. While Yeni Rakı has an alcohol content of 45% and 1.5 grams of anise per litre, Tekirdağ Rakısı has 0.2 grams more anise per litre. There are also two top-quality brands called Kulüp Rakısı and Altınbaş with 50% alcohol. Yeni Rakı contains about 20% sugar beet alcohol, the other brands of Tekel are produced only from suma. Today with the privatisation of the state-owned sprit industry different producers and brands emerged. There are currently a considerable number of different brands and types of raki available, including Efe Rakı, Mercan Rakı, Fasıl Rakı, Burgaz Rakı. Sarı Zeybek Rakısı, another recent brand, is kept in oaken aging barrels, which give the raki a distinctive golden colour.

Ways of drinking

In Turkey, where raki is the unofficial national drink and companion to meze, it is especially popular with white cheese and melon. Raki is generally drunk mixed with an equal part of water. When the water is added, the mixture turns a whitish colour, which is where the drink gets its alternative name, Aslan Sütü, which means "Lion's Milk". In addition to mixing raki with water in its own glass, it is customary to drink raki with a separate but complementary beverage. For the casual raki drinker, a glass of cold water is suitable. For the serious connoisseur of raki with kebab, a glass of salgam stands as the best accompaniment to Lion's Milk. Sometimes raki is drank together with ayran (in a separate glass), which is said to prevent hangover. In Albania, raki is an apéritif and is usually drunk in very small amounts at social gatherings (see Raki in Albania).

Raki in Albania

Raki was brought to Albania through the Ottoman conquest of the country in the late 14th century. Made from fermented and distilled fruit, usually grapes but sometimes plums.

Albanians are very fond of their national drink, and, despite the fact it is about as potent as vodka it is not drunk as a Russian would drink vodka. It is sipped in tiny amounts and both making and drinking raki are almost art forms.

The process of making raki in Albania is exceptionally difficult, with the slighest mistake turning a potentially perfect batch of it into what is known as 'soft raki', which is considered by many to not be worth drinking. From the mashing of the fruit, to fermenting it under the proper conditions, to making sure that there is the correct amount of fire beneath the distillery barrel and finally to infusing the final product with leaves from the apple tree, it is a laborious task, and those who can do it well are highly respected.

Each family has one it considers to be a raki master.

It is usually drunk at social gatherings and other events.

Some of the best raki in Albania comes from the Skrapar and Përmet districts.

Greek Raki (Tsikoudia)

In Greece, in particular on the island of Crete, Tsikoudia is also named raki since Turkish occupation. It's a pomace brandy similar to Italian grappa or French marc with no anised flavor.

External links

References

liqueurs

Turkish cuisine | Serbian cuisine | Greek cuisine | Albanian cuisine

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