Comments on abufares said...the world according to a tartoussi: Lions' Milk

Stumbled across your blog in pursuit of a recipe f...

2008-11-30T22:47:29.245+02:00

Stumbled across your blog in pursuit of a recipe for stuffed sheep intestines.

Was recently in Turkey where Arak is also distilled. Had some--reminded me of gradeschool licorice candy with a mouth wallop that wouldn't quit.

Every society which has a tradition of distillation has some variation. Arak, Cachaca, Eau de Vie, Grappa etc., are produced with the support and approval (generally) of the local populations.

Occasionally, not, especially in the United States which views every grade and variety of homebrewed distillate as illegal. A close friend who likes to try different spirits made some corn based "moonshine." No measure of the alcohol content was performed, but my estimate was close to 60%. Very, very aromatic, and extremely clear to the palate.

My favorite distillate is "Los Osuna" produced in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. Essentially the same as Tequila, but forbidden by law to be called as such since it is not produced in the city of Tequila in the state of Jalisco.

Nice blog. Will return when time permits.

@KayaWell at least you like all the right things:-...

2008-11-18T10:39:13.882+02:00

@Kaya
Well at least you like all the right things:-)

@DianaWelcome on board.I look forward each and eve...

2008-11-18T10:37:55.731+02:00

@Diana
Welcome on board.
I look forward each and every new post of yours.

Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fa...

2008-11-18T08:05:54.831+02:00

Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening.

What a coincidence. I am a 3 in 1.

I am now on Syria Planet. :)

2008-11-18T00:58:58.796+02:00

I am now on Syria Planet. :)

@AnonymousArak is affectionately called "Lions Mil...

2008-11-17T19:01:06.979+02:00

@Anonymous
Arak is affectionately called "Lions Milk" on the coast
حليب السباع

thus came the name of the post.

@DianaYou will fit in just beautifully on Syplanet...

2008-11-17T19:00:15.750+02:00

@Diana
You will fit in just beautifully on Syplanet. We need you there desperately with the rest of us.

im still asking myself why did you use "Lions Milk...

2008-11-16T21:58:31.836+02:00

im still asking myself why did you use "Lions Milk" as a headline?

Or was this Lions Milk?

Nope, you haven't asked me, and thanks for pluggin...

2008-11-10T03:06:57.893+02:00

Nope, you haven't asked me, and thanks for plugging my blog. :)

I'm not technically Syrian, at least not in a Syrian Arab Republic sense, so I don't know if I'll be allowed in. I'm half Palestinian and half Syriac-Aramaic (so, one of the original Syrians!). I don't know if that fits the bill.

Come to think of it, I should detail my background in a post.

@jgmKassak Habibi, sahha w' hana

2008-11-06T11:35:27.236+02:00

@jgm
Kassak Habibi, sahha w' hana

@w.b. yeatsPitorro is my kind of drink in the same...

2008-11-06T11:32:54.693+02:00

@w.b. yeats
Pitorro is my kind of drink in the same way Puerto Rican beauties are my type of girls :-)
And remember that:
Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening.

http://www.abufares.net/2007/01/everything-i-like-is-either-illegal.html

Eh Wallah kessak abufares...yislamo hal edain

2008-11-06T02:33:50.798+02:00

Eh Wallah kessak abufares...yislamo hal edain

"El pitorro. Es una bebida nacional que se consume...

2008-11-05T23:24:24.939+02:00

"El pitorro. Es una bebida nacional que se consume en el campo y casi siempre en navidad.

Se destila alcohol de caña con una gradación de sobre un 150% ( es una bomba, además de ilegal) y luego se cura con Todo tipo de frutas incluyendo ciruelas, chinas, además hay gente que le hecha carnes y todo lo que la imaginación permita ver.

Al cabo de unos meses toda esa mezcla produce una bebida curada con un sabor extraordinario y con una capacidad de hacer feliz hasta al menos borrachín. Si te descuidas te pasa el hígado sin que te des cuenta"

I found this description of Pitorro, and decided to send it to you... Maybe I should translate, but I rather think you will enjoy reading it in Spanish : )

The last line though, I will translate for you: "if you do not take care, it will perforate your liver without you ever finding out"

Puertorricans do love a challenge, they drink it whenever they can!

cariños,
w.b. yeats

@lujayn(that mustard-colored mud stuff)? is, well,...

2008-11-05T13:48:56.602+02:00

@lujayn
(that mustard-colored mud stuff)? is, well, mud صلصال.
Wine is great but for our Mediterranean and Levantine food, the Mezza, the BBQ chicken, meat and fish... Arak is the indisputable king.

What an interesting arak-making contraption! What ...

2008-11-05T13:39:32.742+02:00

What an interesting arak-making contraption! What does he seal it with (that mustard-colored mud stuff)?

Kasak, Abu Fares, despite my aversion to Arak (nothing stands up to wine in my books)!

@Om AnastasioI would love to talk shop with your h...

2008-11-05T11:59:48.195+02:00

@Om Anastasio
I would love to talk shop with your husband over Arak an/or Ouzo.
Soon, I'll post those pictures I promised you about.

Me again, Abu Fares. Got discussing the Arak (Ouzo...

2008-11-05T01:34:32.178+02:00

Me again, Abu Fares. Got discussing the Arak (Ouzo) distilling process with hubs. Showed him the video...he knows more about distilling than I thought!! Now it all makes sense. :) Om Anastasio

@KJW.C. Fields wrote that not me.However, I need t...

2008-11-04T12:29:43.452+02:00

@KJ

W.C. Fields wrote that not me.

However, I need to shed a light on the circumstances behind this quotation.
In ancient times, soldiers (warriors) used to drink excessively before and after major battles. Anyone who didn't join in the wild celebration would have been assumed to be hiding something (i.e. being a spy). If you had nothing to hide then you wouldn't mind getting intoxicated and blurring your mind out.
Makes sense doesn't it?

You're right about people of old having more fun perfecting their invention than us drinking it. Yet, you are missing on one very important group: those who invent and drink at the same time :-)

@KayaI missed you girl."Drinker" is a unisex term....

2008-11-04T11:40:32.615+02:00

@Kaya
I missed you girl.
"Drinker" is a unisex term.
How about:
"I never trust myself with a woman who drinks" ;-)

@DianaThank you for being here.I might've already ...

2008-11-04T11:38:18.084+02:00

@Diana
Thank you for being here.
I might've already asked you but I'm not sure. Why aren't you on Syplanet?
The reason is that being in Syria makes it difficult to check out blogspot blogs because of the censorship. I would like to be a consistent reader of your wonderful blog "The Quiver" http://the-quiver.blogspot.com/ and I'm sure that you'll make a lot of us very happy once we are automatically informed that you have a new post.

@KatiaKassek w' SahtekI would get along perfectly ...

2008-11-04T11:34:27.670+02:00

@Katia
Kassek w' Sahtek
I would get along perfectly with your parents, especially your mom since I'm an unbending Farid el Atrash fan.
Of the new kids on the block, Mouin Shreif's rendition of some Wadih el Safi classics is fantastic. It's a little strange, and perhaps unfair, but I really prefer listening to Mouin's versions than the Wadih's orginals. This young man is sooo goood.

@MariyahI'm glad you liked the video. To tell you ...

2008-11-04T11:30:12.071+02:00

@Mariyah
I'm glad you liked the video. To tell you the truth, we were already halfway through the bottle when my host needed to start on a new batch. It occurred to me then to shoot some video with my digital camera but at that stage... it was "Mzahezha with me".

Why shouldn't you trust a man who doesn't drink? :...

2008-11-04T08:26:56.495+02:00

Why shouldn't you trust a man who doesn't drink? :)

I'm officially hurt!

I never knew Arak is formerly this.. sludge. But it's amazing how pure it comes out in the end. I gotta give it to the people of old who discovered all our modern pleasures (whether or not I consume it)... I bet you a million that they had more fun perfecting their invention than us drinking it

W. C. Fields once wrote: "Never trust a man who do...

2008-11-04T07:30:54.831+02:00

W. C. Fields once wrote: "Never trust a man who doesn't drink." In a way, we share this line of thought in Tartous but we digress further. "Never trust a drinker who doesn't like Arak".

Or a woman.
Hello old friend.

Love the video! :)

2008-11-04T02:59:54.099+02:00

Love the video! :)