Medovukha (Russian:медову́ха[mʲɪdɐˈvuxə];Ukrainian:меду́ха,romanized: medukha,IPA:[meˈduxɐ];Belarusian:мяду́ха, медаву́ха,romanized: miadúha, miedavúha,IPA:[mʲaˈduxa],[mʲɛdaˈvuxa]) is aSlavichoney-based alcoholic beverage.[1] It is very similar tomead; but medovukha is produced much faster (approx. less than 1 month of fermentation).[2]
The words mead and medovukha are closely related and go back to theProto-Indo-European word*médʰu (honey). Produced inEastern Europe since pagan times, it remained popular well into the 19th century (unlike inWestern Europe, where by theMiddle Ages mead had already been mostly replaced by wine and beer).[citation needed]
Wild honey farming was one of the firstSlavic trades. They discovered that honey could befermented, and the first fermented honey appeared as aluxury product in Europe, where it was imported in huge quantities.
Fermentation occurs naturally over 15 to 50 years, originally rendering the product very expensive and only accessible to thenobility. However, Slavs found that fermentation occurred much faster when the honey mixture was heated, enabling medovukha to become a folk drink in the territory ofRus'.
Honey-basedalcoholic drinks | ||
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| Mead (fermented honey) |
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| Alcohol mixed with honey |
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