Plum: benefits, brands of a drink, a recipe for the preparation of a plum at home

The choice of strong alcoholic beverages is very large, each of them has its own territory of popularity. In this article, we will analyze a drink called a plum.

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Cognac is known all over the world, Calvados is a truly French drink, vodka is in demand in the cold lands - Russia, Finland, Sweden. In Italy, Grappa is popular in Greece of Metax, and in the Balkan countries they most willingly drink brandy from plums - a plum.

Plum: History of origin

It is believed that the drink began to be made about the 16th century in the Balkans. A lot of drain has always grew in these parts, many of which had high sugar content. It turned out the perfect material for the production of homemade Rakia - the local variety of brandy.

The word Rakia is considered a derivative of Turkish cancer - anise vodka. The spread of the plum was facilitated by the fact that these lands were under the rule of the Muslim Turks, whose faith prohibits drinking wine. Wine is from grapes, but alcohol made of drain did not fall under a direct ban, and formally, the Qur'an was not prohibited.
The same national nobility, on the contrary, is the appearance of a cheap, popular competitor with exquisite grape wines, to put it mildly, did not welcome. Soon the drink was banned, but it was too late. Cheap in production, tasty, a easily drinking plum I gained more and more popularity.

Plum: what is prepared from, benefit and harm

Plum called Brandy made from drain. This drink is very popular in the Balkan countries - Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, as well as in the adjacent states, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and others. Strictly speaking, only a drink made in Serbia is entitled to be called a plum to be called the official trademark.
It is also called a slope, plum crayfish, although Rakia is more often grape vodka. It is also incorrect to call her a slice, as it is tincture of drain on the finished alcohol. In Romania, they produce their own plum, there it is called tsUKA or Spalinka.
A characteristic feature of the plum is the ease of its use, despite the high degree (from 40 to 52), it almost does not cause a hangover, the head does not hurt from it. Experts say that the intoxication of the plum does not cause aggression, gloomy mood, depression.
On the contrary, there is peace-loving-philosophical relaxation, friendliness and good nature.

Also, the beneficial properties of the plum include the following:

Vascular expansion.
Intensive fat burning.
Countering ischemia.
Stabilization of the nervous system.
Improving appetite.

It should be noted that the benefits can only be discussed if we are talking about a real, high -quality plum, drinking moderately, for a good snack. And, of course, this drink has harmful properties.

If you use a plum without measure, you can call:

Liver disease.
Kidney function.
Exacerbation of gastritis, stomach ulcers.
Memory deterioration.

Absolutely excluded plums during pregnancy, breastfeeding, when taking strong antibiotics and antidepressants.

Plum: technology for manufacturing a drink

So, let's see how a real, proprietary plum is made. Since the plum is a type of brandy, the technology of its production is based on the same principles.
Preparation of raw materials. Plum for the drink is collected only very ripe, soft, gaining maximum sugar content. The main thing is that it is not rotten.

Cooking mash. In large vats, plums are crushed into gruel - juice with pulp, and the seeds are not taken out. Brage is allowed to be discarded and withstand for a while.

Then the resulting material filter and expose distillation or distillation. Distillation can be single, then the fortress at the output is about 45%, or double - then the fortress can reach 75%. Some technologies, for example, Czech, even suggest triple distillation.

The final stage - exposure in barrels of limsin oak Within 3, 5, 10 years or more. It is at this stage that the drink acquires its properties, a golden-aware tint, a bright, unique taste.
Usually, a strong plum for practical consumption is diluted with clean water to the usual fortress of 40-45 %.

Plum: views and brands

Unlike their eminent “colleagues” - cognac, whiskey, gin and others, the plum has not many varieties.

They may differ in these indicators:

On the fortress. Most often, a factory plum is produced in the range of 40-45%, although at home a variety of 52%is often found, and in some cases up to 75%.
By color. The color of the plum varies from transparent to light golden, it all depends on the time of stay in an oak barrel.
By endurance. The perfect exposure period of the drink is 5 years. You can withstand less, you can use a transparent drink without placing it in a barrel, some time after distillation. Particularly aged varieties are found for a period of 10 years or more.
To taste and aroma. Almost all combinations of taste are based on plum colors with a bright aroma of an aged oak.

We list the most popular plum brands:

Palirna U Zeleneho Stromu - This is brandy with a rich fruit taste.

Takovo Sljivovica -the color is golden-amber, has a honey taste of drainage of a special variety.

Slivovica Zufanek is also a transparent variety with exquisite fruit sweet-sour taste.

R. Jelinek Slivovice Bila -A colorless plum with shades of different varieties of plums with the addition of sour-terminal oak notes.

Jelinek Slivovice Zlata -it has a bright light golden color and original aroma, thanks to the use of dried fruits of autumn harvest. It has been produced since 1934.

Jelinek Gold Slivovitz Kosher -a strong drink 50%, golden color. Triple distillation, designed in oak barrels of 5 years.

Luxardo -a transparent plum 40%, a product of prolonged fermentation of the drain along with the bones, distillations according to the ancient recipe and exposure for two years.

Granette & Starorezna -a very strong (53%) transparent drink, fragrant, sweetish, velvety and delicate, with a long aftertaste of ripe plum.

How to cook a plum at home?

The stores have a sufficient choice of this wonderful drink, but after all, it was originally made at home, for themselves, and they got an excellent result. So we will study prepare the plum at home.

First of all, it is necessary Select raw materials. To prepare the plums, only ripe, even slightly overripe plums with sufficient sugar content are suitable. It is allowed to add sugar-sand sugar to the plum only in extreme cases, after a rainy summer, when the fruits are not sugary enough.
According to strict canons, only Variety "Hungarian", Padalitsa, overripe, but not rotten. It is believed that ideally only fruits from old (at least 20 years of life) of trees are used.
Water is added clean, spring, in extreme cases - well cleansed. In the process of fermentation, the bones are usually not taken out. There are technologies for preparing a drink from clean wort, without bones. And there is another extreme - in the wort, part of the fragmented bones is added to the finished drink to give a special almond taste.

So, the material is ready, proceed to the preparation of the plum:

Grind the fruits, and before that it is not recommended to wash them, since the skin contains Wild yeast necessary for fermentation.
Fill the tap for fermentation with chopped plums, pour water - approximately 8 liters per 11 kg of fruits, Add, if necessary, sugar, cover with clean gauze, tie it.
Put a vessel in a warm place (but not in the sun!), There, where drafts do not walk. Insist about 4 weeks - until the wort ceases to bubble.
Strain the resulting porridge through two layers of gauze, and carry out the distillation process using any installation with a snake and a heater, in other words - a moonshine apparatus.
To get a stronger drink, you can overtake the material a second time.
The resulting raw is placed In an oak barrel and withstand how much they wish, ideally - 5 years.

Plum at home: simple recipe

If you do not have time or desire to prepare a classic plum, we offer a simple recipe that involves the cost of a minimum of time and effort.

Plum, recipe for cooking at home:

Take 11-12 kg drain, Grind without removing the seeds.
Add a little clean water and, if necessary, sugar, put in a tank for fermentation, put under a water shutter, or simply pull a medical a rubber glove, punctured with a thin needle in one of the fingers.
When the bubbles in the shutter cease to stand out, or the glove will be blown away and fall, the wort is strain through double gauze.
Olume the resulting mash through the moonshine.
Dilute with clean water until the desired fortress is obtained, Let it settled for 3-4 days.

How to drink and how to bite the plum?

Since the drink is already served on the table, we will analyze how to drink a plum correctly, and how to bite the plum:

In the classic version, the plum is supplied at room temperature - it does not heat up and does not cool. Allowed slight heating, or vice versa, cooling - for an amateur.
It is customary to use the drink in its pure form - So more fully revealed its taste and beneficial properties. There are several recipes for cocktails with a plum, but this is for a very narrow circle of lovers. And it is never mixed with non -alcoholic additives - juice, mineral water, etc., they just kill the aroma of the plum, give it a rough metal taste.
Pour the plum in ordinary vodka glasses, or glasses for whiskey. Drink in one gulp or breaking out with a long throat - the taste of plum brandy is revealed in this way. It is not lung in small sips, such as cognac or calvados.

It is not customary to bite the first glass according to tradition - you need to give yourself the opportunity enjoy aroma and aftertaste.
From traditional snacks Corn bread fried in a hot pan is served to the plum. Also very good Meat sausages, fried meat, cheeses are approaching the plum. There are simply no snacks that are categorically not combined with this drink, it is permissible to bite it with your favorite food.

Plum: how to choose quality?

Of course, if you drink a plum, then only high -quality, real! If you do not have the opportunity to go to Serbia, Czech Republic, Slovenia or another country in the Balkans and try a real, prepared according to old family traditions, a drink, you will have to look for it in stores.

Unfortunately, this type of brandy does not belong to massive, it is reluctant to purchase for sales, since in our country it is not particularly popular, and is a drink for an amateur. But in large points of sale, the original plum is quite possible to find.

To buy a quality plum, follow several rules:

Conduct reconnaissance - look on the Internet well -known brands of this alcohol (some of them we brought in this article), where they are produced, which are characteristic.
- Do not buy a plum In dubious points - markets, small shops, cheap shops. Buy in large shopping centers - there and the likelihood of buying a counterfeit is very small and to return a low -quality product is much easier.
- Use modern technologies - by choosing a drink, go to the official website of the manufacturer, and see how their goods are designed, whether the bottle you have chosen correspond to it.
- Be sure to be present excise stamp, All labels are glued evenly, without fluxes. The lid should be without dents and distortions.
- Alcohol in a bottle should not be muddy, have extraneous suspensions, particles. The plum, even sustained, golden, is always transparent and pure. If not, then this is a fake!

Now you know what a plum is, how to drink it, how to cook at home or choose in a store. Be sure to try this amazing drink born in the Balkans, the soul of Serbia!

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