Habushu

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Habushu ( Japanese ハ ブ 酒 , also sold as habu sake or Okinawa snake wine ) is a snake brandy . This type of alcoholic beverage is distinguished by the peculiarity that the body of a snake is in the bottle. For Habushu the Habu snake will Protobothrops flavoviridis - a species of the subfamily of pit vipers - used on the Japanese Ryukyu Islands endemic lives. The drink is made in Okinawa Prefecture .

Manufacturing

Habushu bottles in the shop with Habu snakes in them.

Awamori schnapps, a distillate made from Japanese long-grain rice, serves as the basis for Habushu . This is mixed with herbs and honey, which leads to a golden yellow color. Then a snake is placed in the liquor until it is sold. The animal is prepared in several ways by the manufacturer: one method is to drown it in alcohol and seal it in the bottle. Another option is to stun the animal with ice, gutt it and soak it in ethanol. Here the snake is placed in a 59% alcoholic solution for about 40 days and then placed in a 35% awamori mixture. The second method is to reduce the strong odor of the drink, since the innards are removed beforehand. The Awamori is often depending on the recipe with mashed rice and a mold mixed before being brought to the camp to mature. Depending on the brand, the animal is still in the bottle when it is sold, others only sell the schnapps.

The snake

Under the Latin name Trimeresurus flavoviridis, the Habu snake belongs to the genus of bamboo vipers , which are subordinate to the pit vipers . The exact systematics of pit vipers is still the subject of current research. According to the latest version, the Habu snake is classified as Protobothrops flavoviridis under the genus Protobothrops , also part of the subfamily of pit vipers.

Habus are venomous snakes and live on the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa and Amami . Their venom leads to symptoms such as drop in blood pressure, vomiting and paralysis after a bite and in some cases can be fatal.

The largest Habushu vendors use around 5000 Habu snakes annually. If the animals are immersed in alcohol, the poison should inactivate itself over time and become suitable for consumption. According to popular belief, the schnapps is said to have a stimulating effect on the libido , since the snake is supposed to maintain an act of mating for up to 26 hours.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Society for Science and the Public: Snakes from Okinawa . Ed .: The Science News-Letter. tape 48 , 1945, p. 211-212 , doi : 10.2307 / 3922011 .
  2. ↑ Aniya, Y., Heshiki, J., Ashitomi, I., Higa, K., & Matsusaki, C .: An experimental study of emergency care for habu bites: estimation of amount of venom removed by suction. Ed .: Ryukyu Medical Association. tape 5 , 1982, pp. 196-200 .
  3. ↑ Loststory.net: Okinawa's potent habu sake packs healthy punch, poisonous snake. Retrieved December 20, 2017 .