The history of Hungarian pálinka

Pálinka: a real and prestigious Hugaricum, writes Őseink Hagyatékai, Örökségünk when popping the question whether Hungarians think about how long the people have known and made this beverage, or even about how its name came? Well, in their post the site tells us a great deal about the drink.

Pálinka is the most ancient beverage of our society – the post starts off – and it is consumed in every part of the world, even though, the ingredients do differ in countries. Such a diversity was created by the weather and the natural conditions.

The tastiest kinds of pálinka are said to be made in the Carpathian basin, as there the drinks are made of fruit, and therefore are uniquely luscious. For example, the climate of the Great Hungarian Plains is exceptionally suitable for fruit production, especially of apricots, plums, cherries, strawberries and pears.

The first textual data about the beverage is from the beginning of the 14^th century, during which time the wife of Charles I (Károly Róbert in Hungarian history) had a water of life called “aqua vitae”, which was assumed to be a kind of brandy, the ancestor of nowadays’ pálinka.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/hungarian-palinka-is-being-produced-in-uganda/” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Hungarian Pálinka is being produced even in Uganda[/button]

The word comes from Slovakian origins, spirits were called “tótpálinka” in Hungary, which meant grain distillate. Later, the same name was used to refer to fruit distillates and the grain-based drinks were given the name “crematura”, hence, it became easy to differentiate between the two.

Right until the 16^th century spirits were regarded as medicines, which role is proved by the European terms ‘aqua vitae’ and ‘aqua vini’, and their versions in the other areas. Then, the 15^th century brought the collaboration of breweries and distilleries, however, the process was the right of the squires, peasants were not allowed to produce the same amounts.