Cachaça
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cachaça (Portuguese pronunciation: [kaˈʃasɐ]) is a liquor made from fermented sugarcane. It is the most popular distilled alcoholic beverage in Brazil. It is also known as aguardente (aguardiente), pinga, caninha or other names. Cachaça is mostly produced in Brazil, where, according to 2007 figures, 1.5 billion liters (396.4 million gallons) are consumed annually, compared with 15 million liters (3.964 million gallons) outside the country.[1] Cachaça is, "...the product of the distillation of fermented sugarcane juice, with its alcohol strength anywhere from 38% to 80% by volume. When it is homemade it can be as strong as the distiller wants. Up to six grams per liter of sugar may be added."[2] Cachaça differs from rum in that most rum is made from molasses.[3] Use of molasses allows for the use of the byproduct of sugar production and a smaller still but has the taste affected by heating. Cachaca can be classified as a "rhum agricole" which is rum produced directly from cane juice.
Figures from 2003 indicate 1.3 billion liters of cachaça are produced each year though only 1% of this production is exported (mainly to Germany).[4] Outside Brazil, cachaça is used almost exclusively as an ingredient in tropical drinks, with the caipirinha being the most famous cocktail.
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[edit] Production
There are two types of cachaça: artisanal and industrial.
Artisanal cachaças are produced by thousands of small mills spread all over the country. Traditionally, the fermentation agent is maize flour (called fubá in Portuguese) and the distillation unit is a copper pot still. The resulting product comes out in three phases: "heads", "hearts" and "tails". Most of the makers take only the "hearts", discarding (or re-distilling) the other two which have undesirable components. Then the beverage is either bottled or stored in wood barrels for aging. The cachaça is aged in barrels made from a great variety of native or exotic trees such as chestnut, umburana, jequitibá, ipê, grápia, balsam wood, almond, jatobá, guanandi, brazilwood, cabreúva, tibiriçá, garapeira, cherry, and oak.[5]
Cachaça, like rum, has two varieties: unaged (white) and aged (gold). White cachaça is usually bottled immediately after distillation and tends to be cheaper. It is often used to prepare caipirinha and other beverages in which cachaça is an ingredient. Dark cachaça, usually seen as the "premium" variety, is aged in wood barrels and is meant to be drunk straight. Its flavor is influenced by the type of wood from which the barrel is made.[6]
[edit] See also
- List of brands of Cachaça
- Caipirinha
- Cocktails with cachaça
- List of cocktails with cachaça
- List of Brazilian dishes
[edit] References and notes
- ^ Carter, Kelly E. (2007-02-16). "Cachaça: It's the essence of Brazil in a bottle". USA Today (Gannett Company). http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2007-02-15-brazil-cachaca_x.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ^ "Resposta técnica - cachaça" (pdf). http://sbrt.ibict.br/upload/sbrt1887.pdf. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
- ^ If You Hear Cachaça Don't Think of Rum
- ^ "Marvada chique". Editora Globo. 2003-05. http://revistagloborural.globo.com/EditoraGlobo/componentes/article/edg_article_print/1,3916,533013-1641-1,00.html. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
- ^ Discovering Cachaça
- ^ Kugel, Seth. "Allure of Cachaça Spreads to U.S. From Brazil". The New York Times, April 9, 2008. Accessed 1 June 2009.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cachaça |
- State of Paraty Tourism Website—Information in Portuguese on cachaça production
- O Álbum Virtual de Rótulos de Garrafas de Cachaça na Net—Web site dedicated to cachaça labels. In English and Portuguese.
