Rakia

Rakia or Rakija (pronounced rakiya) is the collective term for fruit brandy popular in the Balkans. The alcohol content of rakia is normally 40% ABV, but home-produced rakia can be stronger (typically 50% to 80% but going as high as 90% at times).

Name

Fruit brandies are commonly known as Rakia in Greece (Ρακί, Ρακή or Τσικουδιά/Tsikoudia), Bulgaria (ракия), Croatia (rakija), Bosnia and Herzegovina (rakija), Albania (rakia), Macedonia (ракија/rakija), Serbia (ракија/rakija), Montenegro (ракија/rakija). In Romania, the terms ţuică and palincă are used over rachiu, răchie. In Hungary it is known as pálinka, while in the Czech Republic and Slovakia the concept is known as pálenka. In Slovenia, it is known as šnops.

Origins

The origins of rakia are unknown. It is considered that the name is derived from the Arabic عرق [ʕaraq] meaning "condensation" (which is the final phase of distillation), through the Turkish rakı, leading some to believe that it has some Middle Eastern influence and was developed in the Balkans during the Ottoman Empire era. Currently, there is no defined origin of rakia but there are many who claim to be the origins of the drink. A team of archaeologists led by Philip Petrunov have recently discovered, near the fortress "Lyutitsa" (in Ivaylovgrad), a fragment of a distillation container for the production of rakia. According to experts discovery dates back to the XI century AD and this proves that rakia is produced and consumed in Bulgaria in the XI century AD. Unknown Bulgarian nobleman from Veliko Tarnovo, in the XIV century wrote on a glass that drinking rakia during the Church Holiday. In support of that rakia in Bulgaria was known before the invasion of the Ottomans is justification of the Turkish commander Lala Sahin to the Ottoman sultan that in 1382 failed to conquer Sofia, because "the defense of the city was entrusted to strong, healthy Bulgarians "with mustaches" that before battle drank rakia and so became invincible".

Rakia (disambiguation)

Rakia is a popular alcoholic drink in the Balkans

Rakia may also refer to:

Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority

Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA) was constituted by Emiri Decree No. (2)/2005 issued by the late Sheikh Saqr Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi in view of reinforcing the investment climate of this member of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and promoting various economic sectors. Its establishment was linked to a World Bank study and investment promotion event in May 2005 ("Invest and Live in Ras Al Khaimah") initiated and pursued by the Swiss-Lebanese engineer Khater Massaad who was a long-time adviser to Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi, the creator of RAK Ceramics and the longtime CEO of RAKIA.

Sectors under development include industrial parks, education and technology, real estate, transportation, manufacturing and energy, as well as offshore operations and other investments. Contrary to popular opinion, RAKIA is not a proper sovereign wealth fund (SWF) that would rely for example on steady income from oil or gas. Instead, RAKIA is an industrial licensing and promotion agency to attract investments into Ras Al-Khaimah. The Government of Ras Al Khaimah as the owner or RAKIA raises funds from financial markets and passes this borrowed money on to RAKIA.