thumb|250px|Traditional distilling process in [[Međimurje County|Međimurje (northern Croatia)]]

thumb|Serbian Slivovitz from [[Valjevo region]]

Slivovitz is a fruit spirit (or fruit brandy) made from damson plums, often referred to as plum spirit (or plum brandy).<!--> If anyone else has a dictionary of some Slavic language that translates your word for slivovitz as "plum brandy", please add additional citations here.</!--> Slivovitz is produced in Central and Southeastern Europe, both commercially and privately. Primary producers include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. In the Balkans, slivovitz is considered a kind of rakia. In Hungary it is considered a kind of pálinka, but in Romania and Moldova it is considered pălincă, similar to țuică. In the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Galicia, and Carpathian-Ruthenia it is considered pálenka. UNESCO put it in a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2022 on request of the country of geographic origin Serbia.

Etymology

The word slivovitz derives from Proto-Slavic 'plum' (, or slíva, , /шљива, or ) with the diminutive suffix (; -ice in Czech). Distilled spirits from different fruits are named similarly. For example, Czech 'apricot' → 'apricot spirit'; 'peach' → 'peach spirit'. Other names include slivovitza, slivovitsa, șliboviță, šljivovica, śliwowica, Schlivowitz, slivovice, slivovica, and slivovka.

Production and consumption

thumb|upright|Croatian Šljivovica and Slovenian Slivovka, two different names for the same drink

The primary producers are Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia.

Regional names

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.

In respective languages, slivovitz () is known as: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , шљивовица; ; ; ; and .

Identical or similar spirits are also produced in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, the United States, and regional names include generic plum spirit, Pflümli, Damassine or eau-de-vie de quetsche.

Distilling process

Only Damson plums may be used as the base fruit for distillation. Before the production process, the plums may be slightly pressed or otherwise disrupted to speed up the fermentation process, but without damaging their ground kernels; yeast, starch, and sugar may be added to the juice. The mixture is then allowed to ferment. There may be one or more distillation stages, depending on the desired final product or region of production, and aging is common to enhance the distillate's finer flavours.

Some producers have obtained a Hechsher certifying that it is kosher for Passover, and thus suitable for consumption during the festival when grain-based liquors are forbidden.

Some modern production techniques, such as those used by Clear Creek in Oregon, omit the use of the pits in fermentation to create a less acerbic or bitter taste.

Imitation slivovitz is made by flavouring spirits with prune juice and artificial oil of bitter almonds.

In 2007, in cooperation with the Bulgarian government, the Czech distillery Rudolf Jelinek protected the brands "Troyanska slivova" and "Tetevenska slivova" in the EU. That same year, this distillery, the largest European manufacturer of fruit distillates, bought a majority share in the largest Bulgarian slivovitsa vinery "Vinprom-Troyan", after having bought, half a year earlier, the second largest "Destila Teteven". However, the Czechs reduced the alcohol content to pay less duty. The production of "Vinprom-Troyan" is mainly for export. For the past 18 years, Troyan has had a special holiday: The Festival of Plum. This holiday is celebrated at the end of September in Troyan and in the village of Oreshak, where the Troyan Monastery is located. The plum has always been an essential produce in this region. Since the beginning of the 20th century, plums have been made into marmalades, pesto, dried prunes, and pulps, all of which were exported into Western Europe. However, due to the fact that it is made without any specific control and brand ownership it has declined in quality, especially in recent years.

Slivovitz was also distilled in large quantities by the Jewish community of Poland before the Second World War. As a popular Passover alcohol, slivovitz had a strong standing among the traditional Jewish-Orthodox communities. State-owned distillers tried to reintroduce the slivovitz based on Jewish traditions in the form of Pejsachówka. After 1989, Pejsachówka had disappeared from the market. Polish distillers continue to produce Śliwowica Paschalna and Śliwowica Strykowska (Strykover Slivovitz), which are both certified as kosher.

Serbia

Šljivovica (, ) is the national drink of Serbia in domestic production for centuries, and the plum is the national fruit. Šljivovica has a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

Plum and its products are of great importance to Serbs and are a part of numerous traditional customs. A Serbian meal sometimes starts or ends with plum products and šljivovica is served as an apéritif. The fertile region of Šumadija in central Serbia is particularly known for its plums and šljivovica. In 2004, over 400 000 litres of šljivovica was produced in Serbia. In 2017, Serbia was the 5th largest producer of plums and sloes in the world.

After legal disputes, following the compromise of 2007 "Serbian Slivovitz" ( / Srpska šljivovica) became Serbia's first certified national brand.

Šljivovica is consumed either directly from a leather-wrapped round bottle, or chilled in a shot glass called čokanjčić (plural: čokanjčići). There is also a town in Zlatibor, called Šljivovica. A popular print in Serbia depicts a moustached peasant wearing the šubara (fur hat), drinking šljivovica from a leather-wrapped bottle, with the motto: "Fuck the Coca, fuck the pizza, all we need is šljivovica".

In 2021, Serbia's šljivovica was added to the United Nations Intangible Cultural Heritage List as a "cherished tradition to be preserved by humanity".

Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia

In Slovenia, it is known as slivovka.

See also

  • Damson gin
  • List of Slivovitz producers
  • Plum jerkum
  • Tsikoudia
  • Tsipouro

References

Sources