Raki is a contradictory drink. It can turn into a conflicting one for amateur drinkers, but those who like it, can swear by its divine flavour.
Like the Western culture that built a cult around the Green Fairy, the mystical inspiring Absinthe drink, the Turkic and Balkan countries praised their Raki and rooted it deeply into their folklore. One can find many songs and poems which glorify the drink, though opposed to the creativity of Absinthe buzzed artists, the Raki seemed to mainly inspire real life heroes.
Turkey, is of course, considered the inventor and guardian of the Raki traditions. The name of the national drink, also known as Arrak, derived from the Arabic Araq which referred to particularly the sweet fermented juice of dates, to later extend to name any spirituous distilled liquor.
Raki has evolved its own unique culinary culture, as opposed to wines which are chosen according to the foods they compliment, mezes (selections of small dishes, like the Spanish tapas) are chosen for the way they complement raki.
Raki is traditionally produced by twice distilled grape pomace with a hint of gum mastic and is then called sakiz raki (gum raki) or mastikha. And as an anise-scented drink, like the Greek ouzo and French pastis, it turns white when mixed with water. The milky-white colour resulted in the drink being popularly referred to as lion’s milk as the lion is the byword symbol of bravery in most of the local cultures.
The word raki, to describe an alcoholic beverage of Turkey and the Balkans, entered the English language vocabulary at the beginning of 17th century. With the first written reference coming from the famous arm chair traveller Samuel Purchas who in his 1613 History of the World in Sea Voyages and Land Travels by Englishmen describes the raki drinking habits of a Turkish governor soldier: “The Subasha (which was our guardian, and left in Town only to look to me) fell to drinking hard at a Racky-house.”
When no anise is added, the drink is known as düz rakı (straight raki) and is straight enjoyable among most of the Balkan countries where it is popular as Rakia.
And the English got to taste that drink as well, with the first time the word Rakia appearing in print in the English language to describe the colourless spirit drink of the Balkans. That happened in 1778, in the English edition of the travel letters of Alberto Fortis. The Italian travelled through Dalmatia-today part of Croatia and Montenegro-and shared his observations on the natural history and culture of those unknown lands in letters to John Strange, the Bishop of Londonderry. The travels which made a real sensation once published, described the tight relations between Rakia and the Eastern culture: “A large draught of a spirituous liquor, which they call rakia, is commonly their first medicinal potion.”
If you need a medicine, you might not really reach for the Raki, but if you like licorice and anise or strong grape distilled beverages you might like the drink, yet to end with a 1834 Frederick Marryat quote: “I cannot drink, Raki I must not” and a reminder from us to always drink in moderation and never drink and drive.
