Fall in the Czech Republic |
Hi Everyone,
We’re finally entering the fall season after a very hot summer. Temperatures have cooled off and everyone’s getting back to work and school, and wearing their dark colored clothing once again. Along with the cooler temperatures and dark clothes of autumn comes a special drink, here in the Czech Republic, called burčák.
We’re finally entering the fall season after a very hot summer. Temperatures have cooled off and everyone’s getting back to work and school, and wearing their dark colored clothing once again. Along with the cooler temperatures and dark clothes of autumn comes a special drink, here in the Czech Republic, called burčák.
Glass of burčák Wikipedia |
What is Burčák?
Sometimes known
as “mléko starcu” (literally “milk of old
people”), burčák is actually
partially fermented grape juice, which is created during the wine-making
process. This special Czech drink is usually a light, milky yellow color (made
from white grapes) and is very sweet, with a low alcohol content. You may see
some red burčák, made from red grapes; however, yellow burčák is the more
common and traditional color. The typical alcohol content of burčák is about
1-7%, but can be as high as 10%. You could say this is “new wine.”
As new wine, burčák
is carbonated from the gas produced during fermentation. Burčák continues to
ferment, even after bottled. In order to safely transport burčák, it has to be stored in upright,
unsealed containers to allow the gases from the fermentation process to escape.
Otherwise, any tightly closed container with burčák would explode.
Burčák is served
warm and it’s best to drink burčák
within a day or two of buying, in order to drink it while its sugar content is
still high. And don’t forget to loosely put the cap back on the bottle. If you
put the cap back on tight, your burčák
will explode, making for a yucky, sticky mess to clean up.
The laws regarding
the sale of burčák are very strict. Accoring to Czech law, the grapes used for burčák
must be grown and harvested in the Czech Republic. It’s also against the law to
water down burčák. And the law also dictates the months when it can be sold--from
August 1 to November 31st each year.
Health Benefits of Burčák
Burčák is
rich in B vitamins, which many Czechs say is good for your hair, nails, skin
and nervous system (unless you’ve had too much to drink!). The fizzy drink also
contains many other vitamins, minerals, proteins and yeasts. It’s also high in flavonoids.
Overall, people say it’s great for your entire vascular
system—heart and blood vessels. It’s also supposed to be good for your
digestion. But you have to be careful when drinking burčák.
Be Careful with Burčák
Locals will tell you it’s easy to be taken in by the drink’s
light, juice-like flavor. There’s a tendency to forget that burčák contains alcohol and it’s easy to
drink larger amounts—more than you realize. At first, it feels like you’re
drinking fruit juice or cider, but pretty quickly you’ll start to feel burčák’s effects, due to its high
sugar content.
The burčák
buzz can be pleasant, but too much will leave you with a headache and with a
blood alcohol level too high to drive. So be careful and responsible when
drinking burčák
—and don’t drink and drive.
Bottled burčák Wikipedia |
Where to Buy Burčák
They say the best places to drink burčák are close to the source—meaning in Moravian
wineries. This is because burčák is still
fermenting—the longer it ferments, the lower the sugar content becomes, which
causes the drink to quickly become sour and unpleasant.
You can also find burčák for sale at your local pub or winery. Burčak’s also available at the many fall
festivals all over the Czech Republic, but especially in Moravia. Moravian
towns such as Znojmo often feature festivals with folk music, traditional foods
and wines, along with burčák,
of course.
My Experience with Burčák
The first time I drank burčák I wasn’t aware of the alchohol content. The drink was a surprise at
first—slightly fizzy, fruity and a little acidic, but pleasant. I soon finished
off one glass and asked for another.
After a couple of glasses, someone told me to be careful not to drink
too much. You really don’t feel the affect of the alcohol or even taste it. I
didn’t get the burčák buzz, but did end up with a slight headache. Nothing bad.
Beech Tree Czech Republic |
Fall and Burčák
Each fall, just
like the locals, I look forward to burčák season! The heat of summer is past
and you can sit outside enjoying the fine fall weather with a little of this
fruity, fizzy drink. There’s nothing like it—neither wine or beer come close to
the same enjoyment of burčák outside on a sunny fall day.
Combine the burčák
with a loved one, friends, some good music and food, and you have all the
ingredients of a wonderful day!
That’s all for
now! Have a great day!
God bless,
Sherry
© 2017 by Sher Vacik. All rights reservered.
2 comments:
Hey would you mind stating which blog platform you're using? I'm planning to start my own blog in the near future but I'm having a tough time making a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I'm looking for something unique. P.S Sorry for getting off-topic but I had to ask! gmail email login
Hi Oliver,
I'm happy to respond to any questions!
I'm using the Blogger platform, with a custom URL. I've also been on Wordpress and really liked it, but I wanted to cut down on the costs of running the blog, so went back to Blogger.
I've customized Blogger to look very similar to the my Old Wordpress site. It's easy to do via the layout panel and in selecting the theme. I also used my own banner, turned off the nav panel at the top and use my own favicon at the top.
I hope that helps! If you have more questions, please let me know--I'm happy to help!
Have a great day,
Sher
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