A historical overview based on the writings of Géza
While fruit brandies are produced all over the world -
from pisco in Chile and Peru and rakije in the Balkans,
to Italy's grappa and Edelbrand in Germany and Austria -
none match pálinka for diversity of flavour and
character. There are hundreds of varieties of Hungary's
oldest drink, all of which take on the subtle
characteristics of the Carpathian Basin's unique fruit
varieties, climate and soil, as well as local traditions
passed down through the generations.
The word pálinka is of Slovak origin; "Tótpálinka"
(literally Slovak spirit) was used in Hungary to refer
to alcoholic drinks derived from wheat. The meaning was
later transferred to fruit brandies, while wheat
distillates became known as "crematura".
In the 19th century, breweries and pálinka
distilleries operated in tandem. Comenius described the
equipment used to make pálinka in "Orbis sensualium
pictus" ("The World in Pictures"), his famous book
written for children in the Hungarian town of Sárospatak.
Distilling itself was the right of landowners, while
laws were introduced to prevent peasants from making
pálinka at home. The use of wheat was banned and
distillation was forbidden on religious holidays.
Despite this, the church still oversaw alcohol
production. Records show that Cistercian monks in Heves
County were brewing beer and distilling pálinka in 1715.
The role of Jewish lenders and businessmen also grew
with the production of alcohol and Saint Michael was
designated patron saint of distilling. Textbooks and
publications also began to appear on the subject around
The larger scale production of distillates, pálinka and
liqueurs from 1799 resulted in guidelines being drawn up
for distillation and the priority rights granted to
landowners were made law. It wasn't long before a
pálinka tax was introduced and by 1850, distillation was
a state monopoly. In 1920, there were 260 pálinka
distilleries in Hungary, a figure that grew to 1,070 in
1970 before falling back down to 815 in 1982. In the
meantime, various laws were introduced to restrict
production, including prohibition during the short-lived
Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919 and splitting of
production 50-50 with the state from 1952 to 1970.
Illegal home distilling became popular in the 18th
century when peasant breweries were shut down. The
practice was fuelled by the desire to make use of fruit
that had fallen from the tree and could not be eaten
coupled with the knowledge that making pálinka at home
was much less expensive. Because the end product was
often inferior, this produce was reserved for personal
use and only offered to friends and guests.
Although this practice is dying out, illegal
distilleries established for commercial purposes have
made it necessary to intensify checks and introduce
stricter laws in recent years.