A bottle of tuica purchased in Timişoara, Romania.

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Țuică (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈt͡sujkə]; sometimes spelled tuica, tzuika, tsuika, tsuica, or tzuica) is a traditional Romanian spirit that contains 45%-60% alcohol by volume (usually 52%). It is usually made from fruits.

Țuică is the official name for the drink when it is prepared only from plums. Other spirits that are produced from some other fruit or from a cereal grain are called "rachiu" or "rachie."

The term "palincă" (for "strong țuică") is not accepted in the official nomenclature published by ASRO.

Preparation[link]

Traditionally, țuică is prepared from early October until early December (after winemaking is complete). The process must generally be finished before Christmas, as not to leave unfinished business for the next year. If using plums, they must be left for fermentation (macerare) for 6–8 weeks, in large barrels (butoaie or căldări).

According to both tradition and Romanian standards (SR) distillation must be done in a brass still (cazan, pictures at [1]), using a traditional fire source (generally wood, but also charcoal). Distillation is made in Transilvania only.

The temperature is controlled traditionally by interpreting the sounds that the still makes and by tasting the brew at different points in the process. Usually, this process results in three grades of țuică:

• very strong - distilled twice, generally a quarter of the production, and the first to come out of the still; about 55-60% alcohol by volume, being stronger than palinka; called fățată or întoarsă depending on the regions; the most famous țuică being served before meal; in rural regions, it is habit to serve a guest with this drink.
• normal (known as 'vodcă' after Russian vodka) - the last to come from the still; between 20-30% alcohol;

After distillation, țuică may be left to age between six months and ten years in oak aging barrels (the result is pearlescent yellow, has a strong aroma, and is known as "old țuică", țuică bătrână), or it may be consumed immediately ("new țuică", țuică proaspătă). The people preparing țuică are sometimes referred to as țuicari, căzănari, cazangii, but this varies depending on geographical regions. Mixed with water, țuică should never turn white or opaque.

Types[link]

Most țuică is moonshine, prepared using traditional methods both for private consumption and for sale. Although this is illegal, the government tolerates the practice due to the traditional character of the beverage. Most țuică is sold in markets and fairs, and at roadsides, bottled in unlabeled PET bottles. Some communities have acquired production licences and produce it legally.

A famous type is "țuică cu fruct." This is a glass bottle of țuică containing a whole fruit (usually an apple or a pear). It is obtained by hanging empty bottles on trees in spring or early summer and growing the fruit inside the bottle.

The generic term "țuică" comprises plum brandies (jinars, horincă, cocârț, tura) and other fruit brandies. A specific nomenclature was created for țuică, comprising varieties such as old, selected, superior, etc.

A simple classification of types of țuică is :

• țuică = a generic term for an alcoholic beverage distilled from fruit
• palincă = double-distilled plum brandy
• horincă = double-distilled plum brandy
• vin ars = a strong alcoholic beverage (i.e., brandy) obtained by aging distilled wine
• fățată = the strongest kind, double-distilled (similar to horincă and palincă)
• frunte = the very first țuică that comes out of the still during the distillation process; it has a unique taste and different strength than the rest

Consumption[link]

Normally, țuica is only consumed before the meal (traditionally every meal). In most cases, only a shot is served as it is too strong to be sipped. The drink is also present in all traditional parties (agape) such as weddings, baptisms, hunting parties, harvest festivals, religious holidays, family reunions, and wakes. In most of rural Romania, țuică is the usual drink to hold a toast with, rather than wine, which is almost always consumed towards the end of the party. Usually it is drunk before meal, as it increases appetite.

A modern portrayal of a modern village inhabitant almost always includes a bottle of țuică. Production of țuică can amount to up 5 kilolitres per family per year, as the plum tree is the most widely present tree in Romanian orchards (see also Agriculture in Romania). According to the 2002/2003 census, 143,167 farms had plum trees bearing fruit covering a total area of 554 km². According to the same census, about 75% of the crop ends up as țuică.

See also[link]

Look up ţuică in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Palinka
• Raki (alcoholic beverage)
• Rakia
• Slivovitz

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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the Romanian Wikipedia. (September 2011) Don't speak Romanian? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the Romanian article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. After translating, {{Translated|ro|Nicu Paleru}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Nicu Paleru (born April 23, 1973, Pitești, Muntenia) is a well-known Romanian Gypsy manele musician.^[1] Part of the manele underground since the early 1990s, he finally attained national success in the late '90s with the help of a Romanian TV show dedicated to manele.

References[link]

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