Plum rakija (Šljivovica)

There is a popular belief in the Adria region that plum rakija (Šljivovica) belongs to the category of natural medicine, a secret folk weapon against many diseases. Drinking this strong drink helps with toothache, digestive problems, and sore throat, reduces muscle pain, and is a useful tool for improving a bad mood. Some thought that they would not get infected with COVID-19 if they drank it every day, but rakija did not prove to be so effective. 🙂

Rakija is considered the national drink of many Slavic nations: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Of course, the most appreciated are the domestically produced ones, and I’m sure that we will have a hard time agreeing on which one is the best. Be it from Slavonia, Lika, Bosnia, or Serbia. However, the fact is that at the World Drinks Awards in London in 2021, the best distillate in the world was announced as the plum rakija produced on the Rajnovač estate, located between Bosanska Krupa and Novi Grad in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Since plum rakija, as well as other types of this drink, is part of the daily life of this region, it is important to know and recognize the folk categorizations of this essential drink.

• DOBRAAA (GOOOD) – it’s rakija between 40 and 50% alcohol, colorless or slightly yellow, which when you drink it, you don’t feel the taste of plum in your mouth, but you feel the real plum in your stomach when a strange warmth spreads from your insides throughout your body. It must not burn the throat!
• BRLJA (BLUNDER) – a popular name for cheap rakija of poor quality, with a lower volume of alcohol and often colored. You won’t feel sick after it unless you drink too much. The best way to find out which rakija is BRLJA is to try the GOOD one. 🙂
• ŠEČERUŠA (SUGAR BASED) – fake rakija. Šećeruša is a rakija that is obtained by producing alcohol from pure sugar, although many mistakenly believe that Šećeruša is any rakija in which sugar was used in the production process. Our tip is: AVOID IT!
• PREPEČENICA (TOASTED) – double-distilled rakija, where the alcohol content sometimes even exceeds 60%. It’s something like Premium rakija! Be careful with the consumption of this one!

Rakija is drunk in small glasses of 0.03 to 0.05 l, and traditionally also in fraklić (čokanjčić), but in any case, consume in moderation and with caution! Cheers!

Šljivovica rakija, Photo: Michal Křenovský, Pixabay