I haven’t a clue what just triggered this memory of drinking
Palinka, a home-made spirit distilled
from fruits like apricot and plum, but thinking back on the first time makes me laugh and
smile. The three of us gathered around a small table in the kitchen of one of the families we were building
for in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. After a long day of hammering (mostly my thumb) and working on new homes for and with our
gracious hosts in part of Habitat for Humanities International Global Village program the Palinka sounded like a great
idea. Our host family joked and said if you were sick the Palinka would be sure to make you feel better. None of us
were sick, but having never tried the Central European brandy we were all eager to take it down. Let’s just
say I’ll never forget that more slightly burning and warming feeling I encountered and they’ll never forget the
expression on my face.
With my memory of the Palinka in place I decided to do some hunting of where I could possibly get my hands on
some here or learn how to make some myself. Didn’t find any step-by-step instructions on how to create the beverage so
very loved in Hungary
and Romania, but I did see other topics of interest.
Check out this story on the battle between Hungary and Romania for the rights to the drink. If you ever plan on
heading to this part of the globe make sure you try some for yourself. In small portions of course.