Tharra (

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

: ठर्रा,

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

: ٹھرا) is a type of

Desi daru Desi Daaru ( hi, देसी दारू), also known as Country Liquor or Indian-made Indian liquor (IMIL) is a category of liquor made in the countryside of the Indian subcontinent. They are traditionally prepared by a procedure that has bee ...

which is locally, and often illegally, brewed

alcoholic drink An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The con ...

in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

, mainly India and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

.Use of ‘tharra’ rises alarmingly
Intikhab Ali, 15 September 2005, Daily Times (Pakistan), ''... The number of teenagers in the city drinking locally made liquor called tharra is fast increasing ... also known in the market as kuppi, bambaat, katchi shraab and kutta maar. This liquor is life-threatening and its worst side-effects include loss of eyesight and destroyed liver ...'' It is made from yeast fermentation of sugarcane, or wheat husk, especially in

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

and

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...

. Since it is usually made from sugarcane, it is often viewed as a crude rum.

Preparation

Due to the

pungent Pungency () refers to the taste of food commonly referred to as spiciness, hotness or heat, found in foods such as chili peppers. Highly pungent tastes may be experienced as unpleasant. The term piquancy () is sometimes applied to foods with a l ...

smell of the

distilling Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

process, ''Tharra'' is often prepared in remote fields, away from human settlements. It recycles some of the waste products of the agricultural economy of the region.

Health concerns

According to a study done in Pakistan, homemade liquor ''Tharra'' contain many impurities and is often injurious to health.

Local economy

It is often consumed by poor or landless tillers, typically distilled with the connivance of officials and police officers, generating large profits.

References

Indian alcoholic drinks Indian distilled drinks Pakistani alcoholic drinks Traditional Indian alcoholic beverages Adulteration Alcohol in India {{drink-stub

Preparation

Health concerns

Local economy

See also

References