Rakija

6 MIN

Rakija is the most treasured of all spirits in Serbia. This sharp-flavoured drink is indispensable on almost every dining table in the country. It goes perfectly with both traditional and modern dishes, and nothing will warm you up in the winter quite as well as a cup of some good “Šumadija Tea” – rakija boiled with water and caramelised sugar.

Slivovitz – the Serbian water of life

Is it a coincidence that in French, fruit spirits are called “eau de vie”, water of life, and in our country, when drinking brandy, we always say “živeli” (cheers)? Powerful, aromatic spirits such as brandy were originally medicines intended to prolong life and they basically remain so to this day: brandy is a drink that accompanies all phases of life, is drunk on both happy and sad occasions, improves the circulation and cheers the spirit. In Serbia, brandies are made from different fruits – apples, pears, apricots, grapes – but none of those brandies can come close to slivovitz, a traditional drink with a long history and great importance for everyday life in our country.

The process of making brandy is relatively simple. Ripe fruit is harvested, left to ferment and then distilled in a copper still. Of course, there are a number of subtleties and intermediate stages that make the difference between good and bad brandy, but the basic process is simple enough to allow country people to do this pleasant business themselves using a so-called “jolly machine”, as the cauldron and accompanying equipment is sometimes known.

Plum brandy is a powerful, aromatic drink that can be served both as an aperitif and as a digestif.

Plum brandy is a powerful, aromatic drink that can be served both as an aperitif and as a digestif, and it certainly deserves to be paired with excellent food. Plum brandy is an excellent accompaniment to traditional Serbian meze, an indispensable part of which is mature, smoked meat, ham or prosciutto, as well as kaymak and white cheese. In both cases, as a rule, the food accompanying the brandy must not be too salty, and sweet notes are allowed, such as prosciutto rolled with baked prunes going well with very mature brandies.

The serving temperature of slivovitz is around 20 degrees, provided that younger brandies can be served at a slightly lower temperature to highlight the fruit aroma, especially if they are served as an aperitif.

Serbian brandy – human heritage

In 2022, natural plum brandy, or rather the process of making it and the accompanying traditions, were included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity! This list includes customs of great importance to world culture, These include traditional Chinese tea processing, baguette baking in France, rum distilling in Cuba, etc.

It all started in 2021 when the Centre for the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia at the Ethnographic Museum prepared an extensive proposal to UNESCO, in which the traditional process of brandy preparation in Serbia was described in detail. Local communities and institutions were also involved in the preparation of this proposal and provided the necessary ethnographic material, and samples of Serbian brandy were also sent to the UNESCO commission.

It all started in 2021 when the Centre for the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia at the Ethnographic Museum prepared an extensive proposal to UNESCO.

Slivovitz produced in our country received a designation of geographical origin from the European Union in 2016 and since then, it has had the protected name “Srpska šljivovica”.

Adopted in 2003, the Convention on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage promotes the preservation of knowledge that is important for the preservation of traditional crafts. Slivovitz produced in our country received a designation of geographical origin from the European Union in 2016 and since then, it has had the protected name “Srpska šljivovica”.

– The inclusion of the knowledge and skills required for the preparation of slivovitz in the household and its use in everyday and customary practice in the UNESCO Representative List significantly increases the visibility of this intangible cultural heritage at the national and local levels and supports the international promotion of the “living heritage” of Serbia, the Ministry of Culture noted last year, reacting to the news on a decision made in Rabat, Morocco, which is a serious step forward in the international promotion of our traditional drink.