Nalewka (), plural nalewki, is a traditional alcoholic beverage from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. Similar to medicinal

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

s, it is usually 40% to 45% alcohol by volume, though some can be as strong as 75%. Nalewka is created by macerating and / or infusing various ingredients in alcohol, usually

vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuriti ...

neutral spirits Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countri ...

. Among the ingredients often used are fruits, herbs, spices, roots, sugar and honey. The name ''nalewka'' is currently being registered for national appellation within the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

. Unlike ordinary

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyon ...

s, nalewki are usually aged. Since nalewka is produced by infusion rather than distillation, the liquid is typically colorful and somewhat opaque. Taste-wise, nalewka is similar to fruit liqueurs such as

schnapps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to neu ...

eau-de-vie An ''eau de vie'' ( French for spirit, §16, §17 literally " water of life") is a clear, colourless fruit brandy that is produced by means of fermentation and double distillation. The fruit flavor is typically very light. In English-speakin ...

, but is usually sweeter and typically lacks a strong alcohol taste. The name nalewka is sometimes misleadingly used for a variety of commercially produced alcohols sold in Poland, usually of low quality and alcohol content. It could also be confused with its cognate, '' nalivka'' or '' nalyvka'' (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

: наливка), popular in Ukraine since the 17th century and in Russia since the 19th century. While the Polish nalewka is an

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An in ...

, the Ukrainian/Russian nalivkas are made by filling a jar with fruit, sugar and water, sealing it, and letting the contents ferment. Thus, the Ukrainian/Russian nalivkas are much weaker (usually containing less than 20% alcohol). The proper name for a Russian analogue of a Polish ''nalewka'' would be ''nastoika'', infusion. (russian: настойка, uk, настоянка, ''nastoyanka'', literally,

History

The first documented alcoholic herbal tinctures were created by

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history o ...

, the "father of medicine", as treatments for illnesses. During Roman times it was popular to infuse wines with spices, giving rise to

hippocras Hippocras ( ca, Pimentes de clareya; lat, vīnum Hippocraticum), sometimes spelled hipocras or hypocras, is a drink made from wine mixed with sugar and spices, usually including cinnamon, and possibly heated. After steeping the spices in the ...

and

mulled wine Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is us ...

. Through the following centuries, various European cultures developed many flavored alcohols using locally available fruits, herbs and spices. This was a way to preserve the flavors and medicinal properties of seasonal ingredients for use throughout the year, either as remedies or libations. Creating sweetened alcoholic tinctures gained popularity in Poland during the 16th century, possibly due to an influx of French culture brought by

Henry III of France Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Li ...

. The oldest known Polish book describing nalewka was written by Stefan Falimierz and published in Kraków in 1534, titled ''On Herbs and Their Potency'' (''O ziolach y o moczy gich''). From the 16th to 19th centuries the Manor houses of Polish nobility would typically produce and stock a variety of nalewki, and the recipes were passed down from generation to generation in home almanacs called "

Silva rerum Silva rerum (plural: ''silvae rerum'', Latin for "forest of things"; also Polonized as sylwa, sometimes described as home chronicle) was a multi-generational chronicle kept by many Polish and Lithuanian noble families from the 16th through 18th ...

". Families in the Polish nobility, known as the

Szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in ...

, often kept these recipes secret, and they were only given to the senior children upon the death of the father. The production of nalewka later spread to ordinary households, and from the mid to late 19th century a large number of books were published describing processes and recipes, as well as instructions for obtaining ingredients.

Ingredients

Most nalewkas have their proper name derived either from their main ingredient or from the name of their traditional place of production. Common ingredients of nalewkas are fruits, herbs, spices, roots, leaves, flowers, sugar, and honey. Some examples of ingredients and the corresponding nalewka are below: *

Anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and t ...

('' anyżówka'') *

Apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus '' Prunus''. Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are al ...

s ('' morelówka'') *

Blackberry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy ...

(''jeżynówka'') *

Blackcurrant The blackcurrant (''Ribes nigrum''), also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, whe ...

s ('' porzeczkówka'') *

Cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus '' Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The ...

('' wiśniówka'') *

Chokeberries ''Aronia'' is a genus of deciduous shrubs, the chokeberries, in the family Rosaceae native to eastern North America and most commonly found in wet woods and swamps. The genus Aronia is considered to have 3 species. The most common and wide ...

(''aroniówka'') *

Common hawthorn ''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae. It is native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and West Asia, but has been introduced in ...

('' głogówka'') *

Cornus mas ''Cornus mas'', commonly known as cornel (also the Cornelian cherry, European cornel or Cornelian cherry dogwood), is a species of shrub or small tree in the dogwood genus '' Cornus'' native to Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia. Description I ...

('' dereniówka'') *

Ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

('' imbirówka'') * Green Persian walnuts (''orzechówka'') *

Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arc ...

('' jałowcówka'') *

Lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

('' cytrynówka'') *

Quince The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bright ...

( pigwówka) *

Raspberry The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus '' Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with ...

(''malinówka'') * Wormwood ('' piołunówka'')

Notes

:1.Technically some varieties of gin are also nalewkas.

References

External links

Nalewka Tarninówka
{{Vodkas Polish liqueurs Polish cuisine Polish vodkas

History

Ingredients

Notes

See also

References

External links