Vodka: Difference between revisions

Scholars debate the beginnings of vodka<ref name="smith_companion">{{Cite book |author=Smith, A. F. |title=The Oxford companion to American food and drink |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |page=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_e9i9/page/693 693] |isbn=978-0-19-530796-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_e9i9/page/693 }}</ref> because there is little historical material available.<ref name=Blocker>Blocker, Jack S; Fahey, David M, and Tyrrell, Ian R (2003). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=BuzNzm-x0l8C&dq=Alcohol%20and%20temperance%20in%20modern%20history%3A%20an%20international%20encyclopedia&pg=PA636 Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia]'' Vol. 1 A – L, ABC-CLIO, pp. 389, 636 {{ISBN|1-57607-833-7}}.</ref><ref name=Ermochkin>Ermochkine, Nicholas, and Iglikowski, Peter (2003). ''40 degrees east : an anatomy of vodka'', Nova Publishers, p. 217, {{ISBN|1-59033-594-5}}.</ref> For many centuries, beverages differed significantly compared to the vodka of today, as the spirit at that time had a different flavor, color, and smell, and was originally used as medicine. It contained little alcohol, an estimated maximum of about 14%. [[Distillation]] techniques were developed in [[Roman Egypt]] by the 3rd century, but the description of ''aqua ardens'' ("burning water", i.e., alcohol) made by distilling wine with salt appears in Latin works only by the 12th century. The process was well known among European medieval chemists by about 1300.<ref name=Multhauf>{{Cite book |last=Multhauf |first=Robert P. |title=The Origins of Chemistry |publisher=Oldbourne |year=1966 |isbn=9782881245947 |location=London |author-link=Robert P. Multhauf}} pp. 204-206.<!--[[Robert Briffault|Briffault, Robert]] (1919). ''The Making of Humanity'', [https://archive.org/details/makingofhumanity00brifrich/page/194/mode/2up p. 195].--></ref>

The world's first written mention of the word ''wódka'' was in 1405 from ''Akta Grodzkie'' [[recorder of deeds]],<ref name="KRPS">{{cite web|url=http://krps.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=27|title=History of vodka production, at the official page of Polish Spirit Industry Association (KRPS), 2007|language=pl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930131416/http://krps.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=27 |archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> in the court documents from the [[Sandomierz Voivodeship|Palatinate of Sandomierz]] in Poland.<ref name="KRPS" /> At the time, the word ''wódka'' referred to chemical compounds such as [[medicine]]s and [[cosmetics]]' cleansers. The production of [[liquor]] begins in the mid-15th century, with varied local traditions emerging throughout Europe, in Poland as vodka ({{lang-pl|wódka}} or {{lang|pl|gorzałka}}). In the 16th century, the Polish word for the beverage was ''gorzałka'' (from the [[Old Polish language|Old Polish]] verb ''gorzeć'' meaning "to burn"), which is also the source of Ukrainian {{Lang|uk|horilka}} ({{Lang|uk|горілка}}). The word written in [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] appeared first in 1533, about a medicinal drink brought from Poland to Russia by the Russian merchants.<ref name="KRPS" />