Raki was brought to Albania through the Ottoman conquest of the country in the late 14th century. Made from fermented and distilled fruit, usually grapes but sometimes plums. Albanians are very fond of their national drink, and, despite the fact it is about as potent as vodka it is not drunk as a Russian would drink vodka. It is sipped in tiny amounts and both making and drinking raki are almost art forms. The process of making raki in Albania is exceptionally difficult, with the slighest mistake turning a potentially perfect batch of it into what is known as 'soft raki', which is considered by many to not be worth drinking. From the mashing of the fruit, to fermenting it under the proper conditions, to making sure that there is the correct amount of fire beneath the distillery barrel and finally to infusing the final product with leaves from the apple tree, it is a laborious task, and those who can do it well are highly respected. Each family has one it considers to be a raki master.
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