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How I love the Caucasus! High mountains, bright sun, beautiful songs, magical wine and, of course, barbecue. And what hospitable people there! A few years ago I was vacationing in Abkhazia and still communicate with the owner of the house in which I lived.
Oh, how tasty he cooks meat. And for him, he always treated me to real chacha, prepared according to a recipe that is already more than 2 hundred years old. The popularity of this drink has long gone beyond the Caucasus, it is known and loved all over the world.
What is chacha
Chacha is an alcoholic drink that has long been consumed in most of the Caucasus. The name itself is translated from Georgian as “grape pomace”. Therefore, it is immediately clear what it is made of. Grapes for chacha are crushed together with skins, seeds and even twigs.
It is produced exclusively on the territory of Georgia and Abkhazia – only there climatic features allow the cultivation of the desired grape varieties – Rkatsiteli, Kakich, Isabella.
Since 2011, the drink has a patent, according to which the name “chacha” is assigned exclusively to Georgian products. It also regulates the production technology and organoleptic properties.
Rkatsiteli is one of the few grape varieties suitable for making chacha.
The fortress of chacha is 40% or more (up to 60-70%). This is due to the fact that experts classify it as brandy. Calling chacha vodka is a mistake. Her close “relatives” are Italian grappa, Balkan brandy.
The drink is quite insidious. Chacha is very easy to drink. The fortress is softened by a berry-fruit flavor and a “raisin” aftertaste.
On the territory of other Caucasian countries, analogues of chacha are made from marc left after the production of juices. Almost any fruits and berries are used – peaches, apricots, tangerines, cherry plums, persimmons, cherries, figs, mulberries.
How is chacha made
Chacha is prepared by fermentation, placing grape pomace in a special ceramic vessel and tightly closing it. The process takes about 3 months. Then the resulting mash is distilled one or more times.
The color of the drink depends on the number of distillations, ranging from golden yellow to pale straw. Sometimes aging of chacha in oak barrels is also practiced.
At home, chacha is distilled in such “apparatuses”.
Where is the best place to buy tea?
“Industrial” chacha, made at local enterprises, can be purchased in any wine store in Georgia. Popular brands:
- Brothers Askaneli “(from 1000 rubles for 0,5 liters);
- “Legend of Rachuli” (can be bought for 500 rubles);
- “Guguli” (from 400 rubles per bottle).
In Abkhazia, you can buy chacha brands “Achara” (1200 rubles for 0,5), “Ochamchira” (from 700 rubles).
Askaneli Brothers is one of the most famous chacha brands.
But almost every family has its own recipe for making a drink. It is often passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, connoisseurs of unique alcohol should travel around the villages, villages, farms.
The Caucasian traditions of hospitality are still alive, so you will most likely not only be offered to taste chacha and tell its story, but will also be sold at a very reasonable price. Of course, only if you are polite to the owners and please them.
Important! To check the quality of chacha, you need to moisten your finger in it and set it on fire. If the drink has time to burn out, and the skin does not suffer, this is a confirmation of its compliance with the highest standards.
How to drink chacha correctly and with what
Chacha is drunk from small glasses with thin legs. The same goes for grappa. Aged drinks are not cooled; room temperature is best suited for such chacha. “Young” is recommended to be cooled to 12-15ºС.
Chacha is eaten with almost any dish of Caucasian cuisine. In the west, sweets are traditionally preferred, in the east – pickles. You can try both to decide “which side you are on.” Suitable for example:
- any local cheeses;
- sweet fruits;
- churchkhela;
- salads with pickled vegetables;
- mchadi (corn cakes);
- satsivi (fried chicken in walnut sauce);
- sheshamadi (lobio soup);
- chakhokhbili (chicken stewed in spicy sauce);
- khinkali (local “dumplings”);
- barbecue;
- chicken tobacco.
An appetizer for chacha is almost any local Caucasian dish.
In Abkhazia, they drink chacha as an aperitif, washing down every two glasses with a glass of dry wine.
Chacha is a strong national Georgian drink. It is produced both industrially and artisanally. Almost every family has its own unique recipe. Despite the strength and original taste, in the homeland, chacha is not considered a drink for special occasions, it is an “everyday” alcohol.
Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. Take care of yourself!
Have you tried chacha or cocktails with it? Did you like the drink? Have a favorite brand or recipe?