A traditional bottle of slivovitz
Croatian Sljivovica and Slovenian Slivovka, two different names for the same drink
Various bottles of Slivovitz
Slivovitz (IPA pronunciation: /slivovɪts/) is a strong, colourless 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. It is similar to brandy and sometimes called plum brandy in English and
is one of the drinks known in the Balkans as rakia. The
alcohol content can vary from 25-70% by volume, but most store-bought varieties are 40–45%.
It is the national drink of Serbia and made in most of the Slavic Balkan
states, where about 70% of plum production (average 424,300 tonnes per year (FAO 1991–2001) goes into slivovitz.
Slivovitz is a traditional digestif for Ashkenazi
Jews in Eastern Europe; since it is made from plums and
(unlike many distilled liquors) does not involve fermenting grain, it is considered kosher for
passover.
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.
Names
The name Slivovitz derives from the Slavic word for a plum, šljiva or
sliva. In Serbian, it is шљивовица/šljivovica; in Bulgarian, сливова (slivova) or сливовица (slivovica); in Slovenian, slivovka; in Croatian,
šljivovica; in Bosnian, šljivovica or šljiva; in Macedonian, сливовица (slivovica) or сливова ракија (slivova rakija); in
Polish, śliwowica (/ɕli.vɔ.'vi.tsa/); in Romanian, şliboviţă; in Slovak, slivovica ; in Czech: slivovice.
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.
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.
The Slivovitz Festival sorts slivovitz into 3 major
classes: aged in wood, aged in glass, and sweet. Sweet slivovitz is the result of maceration of fruit in the slivovitz after distillation.
Imitation Slivovitz is made by flavoring spirits with prune juice and artificial oil of bitter almonds.
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.[1] Thus, "Serbian
Slivovitz" (Srpska šljivovica) will become Serbia's first certified national brand.[2]
References
See also
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