Region & History

What is rakia? In Bulgaria, this is what a spirit distilled from grapes, plums, apricots or other fruit is called, written ракия, and it's considered the national drink of the country. It has little in common with Turkish Rakı, which is an anise spirit. Bulgarian rakia lives on fruit and, when it's been aged in the barrel, on wood.

Since Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, the European spirits regulation has applied to it. Twelve Bulgarian rakias hold a protected geographical indication under this regulation, ten made from grapes and two from plums.

The grape rakias carry the names Karlovska, Sliven (also known there as Slivenska perla), Pomorie, Sungurlare, Suhindol, Yambol, Targovishte and Karnobat. In addition there are two Muscat rakias, Bourgaska Muscatova rakya from Burgas and Straldjanska Muscatova rakya from Straldzha. Legally, all ten are wine spirits and fall under the regulation's "brandy" category. This places them closer to brandy and Cognac than to grappa, which is made from pomace.

The towns are spread across the country: Burgas and Pomorie on the Black Sea, Sliven, Yambol, Karnobat and Sungurlare in the east, Targovishte in the northeast, Suhindol in the north, Karlovo at the foot of the Balkan Mountains. Karnobat rakia, for instance, is produced in several municipalities in the east of the country.

The two plum rakias, Troyanska slivova rakya and Loveshka slivova rakya, belong to the north. According to the technical file, the plums for Troyan rakia grow in the northern foothills of the Balkan Mountains, in the municipality of Troyan.

Many Bulgarian families keep their own recipes and bottles for special occasions. The protected names, by contrast, stand for distilleries that adhere to the respective technical file.