Arak
Definition
A traditional distilled alcoholic beverage, colorless and unsweetened, flavored with aniseed, highly popular in Middle Eastern countries and the Mediterranean basin (such as Lebanon, Syria, Jordan). It is usually obtained through the triple distillation of fermented grape juice and is consumed diluted with cold water and ice, at which point the beverage assumes a characteristic milky-white appearance due to the precipitation of anise oils (louche effect).
Bilingual Equivalents
- Arak
- Aniseed spirit
Grammatical & Source Details
| Inflection Type | Neuter noun, regular plural forms and standard masculine/neuter genitive case configurations. |
| Formation | Lexical adoption from Arabic 'ʻaraq', meaning sweat or exudate, historically designating the condensation drops gathered during distillation. |
| Spelling / Pronunciation | [ˈærək] |
| Source | Lexicon of Global Spirits, Distillation Technologies, and Culinary Anthropology |
Contextual Usage Examples
RO: Gazda a servit oaspeții cu un pahar de arak libanez alături de diverse aperitive din meze.
EN: The host served the guests a glass of Lebanese arak alongside various mezze appetizers.
RO: Atunci când torni apă peste arak, lichidul transparent se transformă imediat într-o culoare opacă și albicioasă.
EN: When you pour water into arak, the transparent liquid immediately transforms into an opaque and whitish color.
RO: Producția artizanală de arak folosește cazane de cupru tradiționale și lemn de măslin pentru controlul focului.
EN: The artisanal production of arak uses traditional copper alembics and olive wood for fire control.
Idioms & Phrases
Efectul de arak / Louche effect / spontaneous emulsification
RO: Fenomenul fizico-chimic de tulburare lăptoasă a băuturii când este amestecată cu apă, cauzat de uleiul esențial numit anetol.
EN: The physico-chemical phenomenon of the beverage turning milky when mixed with water, caused by the essential oil named anethole.
Servirea arakului / Serving arak / traditional preparation
RO: Ritualul gastronomic specific care impune diluarea distilatului în proporție de o treime alcool și două treimi apă, adăugând gheața la final.
EN: The specific gastronomic ritual requiring the dilution of the spirit in a ratio of one-third alcohol and two-thirds water, adding ice last.
Arak libanez / Lebanese arak / premium araq
RO: Sortiment de mare notorietate internațională, considerat standardul de aur al băuturilor de anason datorită calității strugurilor Obaideh sau Merwah.
EN: An assortment of high international notoriety, considered the gold standard of anise spirits due to the quality of Obaideh or Merwah grapes.
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