ouzo
Ouzo ( Greek ούζο ) is a Greek aniseed spirit .
history
The question of when and where the first ouzo was distilled has not been conclusively clarified. The ouzo probably originated from the tsipouro or rakı , which was distilled by both the Greek and the Turkish population in the Ottoman Empire since the 15th century . The ouzo has been proven to have been produced since the 19th century.
Its popularity increased after the Greco-Turkish War in 1922, as it was one of the favored spirits of Greeks from Turkey, presumably they influenced today's ouzo production with their own distilleries.
There are particularly many ouzo distilleries on the island of Lesbos .
Origin of the term
According to a scientific source, the word ouzo comes from the Turkish üzüm , "bundle of grapes" or "grape brew ". Another thesis is that ouzo used to be packed for export in wooden boxes that were labeled in Italian with Uso di Marsiglia ("for use in Marseille "). From this, Ouzo was later developed as the name for the spirit.
Manufacturing
Ouzo is made from pure alcohol to which, in addition to various herbs and spices , aniseed or fennel seeds are added, which determine the characteristic aroma of Ouzo. Ouzo of higher quality is distilled again after this procedure and sometimes stored for years. Ouzo is sold in bottles with around 40 % alcohol by volume .
Well-known manufacturers of ouzo are Ouzo 12 , Plomari , Mini, Pilavas and Tsantali . Some brands have since been bought up by international spirits groups.
Protected designation of origin
The name Ouzo is protected by the EU Spirits Regulation. It is therefore a special spirit with anise . Ouzo can only be obtained by distilling alcohol and can only be flavored with certain plants and seeds, including fennel seeds, coriander and mastic ( Pistacia lentiscus or latifolia ) from Chios.
The minimum alcohol content must be 35.0 percent by volume. Ouzo may only be produced in Greece and there only in certain areas, must be colorless and may have a sugar content of up to 50 g / l.
Serve
The drinking habits of ouzo also vary greatly in Greece. Ouzo is not only drunk pure as a digestif , it is much more common to serve with mezedes (small dishes such as octopus, cheese), where it is drunk diluted with water at the table, and more and more often with ice. In accordance with its importance as a digestive schnapps, ouzo is recommended in folk medicine as a remedy for stomach cramps . In northern Greece, ouzo is also added as a shot (1 teaspoon) to a coffee without milk.
In Germany, Ouzo is usually drunk strongly chilled as an aperitif , which is rather uncommon in Greece, and used for mixed drinks.
When mixed with water or strongly cooled, ouzo becomes milky-cloudy due to the louche effect . This process is called opalescence . If the ouzo is very strong, it will crystallize if it is too cold.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ G. Clauson: An Etymological Dictionary of Pre-Thirteenth Century Turkish . Oxford 1972, p. 288 .
- ↑ a b Babiniotis gives both possibilities, but uses uso Massalia , Γεώργιος Μπαμπινιώτης (Georgios Babiniotis): Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας (Lexicon of the Modern Greek Language) . Β 'Έκδοση edition. Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας, 2005, ISBN 960-86190-1-7 , p. 1285 .
- ↑ according to V. Pisani
- ↑ No. 29 - Distilled anise. In: Spirits Regulation EC No. 110/2008. (PDF)
- ↑ spirits. at: www.was-wir-essen.de