It is still unknown for certain who invented vodka. According to the tradition of our compatriots, this high-degree drink is native Russian, helping to reveal the full breadth of the Russian soul. However, Europe has never even heard that this is so, and a number of countries are even waging a fierce struggle to be recognized as the “mother” of the vodka brand. Thus, the Baltic countries, which traditionally consider themselves to be “vodka empires”, assure that vodka can only be made from potatoes and grain, while the “vodka” novices - Italy, France, Spain - require that any drink be recognized as vodka. based on ethyl alcohol, which is produced from any raw material of plant origin.
In 2006, Scotland joined the “vodka” riot, which demanded that the European Parliament allow the production of grape and beet vodka. The reasons for such serious fights are quite understandable, although far from ethically unsightly - the popularity of this drink is growing year after year among young people - the volume of vodka sales is about $ 12 billion a year. And the raw materials here are not the main and certainly not the only subject of dispute. It is also kind of a matter of honor, or rather the establishment of historical truth. For example, when asked who invented vodka, Poland boldly replies that it and only it, as local scientists recently discovered that the word "wodka" was first mentioned in 1405 in Polish written documents. Alas, Russia, if she suddenly decides to enter into a discussion, there will be nothing to present to Poland, since the mention of this drink was found in the Novgorod annals only from 1533.
Who invented vodka: theory 1
For some reason, it is customary to believe that Dmitry Mendeleev, the great scientist of our country, is the father of vodka. At the same time, someone clarifies that in his dissertation he suggested drinking 38-degree vodka, while others claim that the topic of his scientific work was completely different. And the latter is really true. The scientist in his work only examined all aspects of the process of combining alcohol with water and established experimentally that if the concentration of ethyl alcohol in an aqueous solution is about 46%, then there is a maximum mutual dissolution of these two components. And nothing but! Mendeleev was not offered any recipe for the preparation of vodka.
Who invented vodka: theory 2
According to one legend, in 1430, the monk of the Miracle Monastery, Isidore, created the very first recipe for Russian vodka. The monk, having the appropriate education and distillery equipment, became the author of a new drink with a degree in Russia.
Who invented vodka: theory 3
In general, pure alcohol was obtained by the Arabs in the 7-8 centuries. n e. And already in the 11th century, the Persian philosopher, doctor and, of course, the alchemist Ar-Razi deduced what was later called vodka.
There is an unconfirmed, but fully entitled to life version, that in 1386 the Genoese ambassadors brought to Moscow the first vodka called “Aqua Vitae”, that is, “living water”. In Russia, it began to be called bread wine and adapted to produce from wheat, rye, barley.
To date, we still do not know who owns the authorship of vodka, who should be thanked and cursed at the same time. But throughout the history of vodka, the fact that many nations have made efforts to improve the taste of this drink, refine the technology of its production, seeking to improve the quality remains indisputable. So, almost every country today produces its own traditional vodka: wormwood (Czech Republic, France, Spain), rice (Southeast Asia, Thailand), apricot (Croatia, Hungary), juniper (Ireland, England), grape (Italy, Cyprus) , bamboo (Indonesia), kumysny (Buryatia, Kalmykia), hemp (Czech Republic), raisins (Israel), cactus (Mexico), etc.
What tricks and tricks do manufacturers not go to advertise their vodka product. So, recently, a lot of good things can be heard about such a drink as vodka with silver. It is immediately recalled that this metal perfectly kills bacteria and other harmful substances. Well, who does not want to drink and still be healthy? However, if you recall chemistry a little, you can realize that silver does not play any role in alcohol, and vodka itself is an excellent disinfectant and antibacterial. Well, this drink with silver is just a beautifully designed and expensive bottle of vodka, at the bottom of which the manufacturer carefully put a copy of the collection postage stamp of the Russian Empire from high-grade silver. Though a trifle, but nice.