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Nederlands
Ouzo is wellicht de bekendste Griekse alcoholische drank en heeft een alcoholpercentage van tussen de 37,5 en 44 procent. Sinds 25 oktober 2006 heeft ouzo binnen de Europese Unie de status van beschermde oorsprongsbenaming, wat bescherming biedt tegen namaak. Een waarschijnlijke verklaring van de herkomst geeft Gerard Clauson in zijn boek An Etymological Dictionary of Pre-Thirteenth Century Turkish (Oxford, 1972). Op bladzijde 288 zegt hij dat het woord "ouzo" is afgeleid van het woord "üzüm", wat druiven betekent in het Turks. De betere ouzo wordt in koperen ketels gedistilleerd en aan het distillaat worden kruiden toegevoegd zoals anijs (Pimpinella anisum), steranijs, venkel, kardemom, maïs, angelica (engelwortel), lindebloesem en koriander. De precieze samenstelling en de verhoudingen van de ingrediënten wordt door de fabrikant geheim gehouden. De smaak die het meest naar voren komt is die van anijs. Vergelijkbare anijsdranken zijn raki (Turkije), sambuca (Italië), pastis (Frankrijk), hierbas (Balearen) en absint (Frankrijk) en tsipouro met anijs (Griekenland). Als men ouzo in de koelkast of vriezer bewaart kunnen er kristalachtige schilfertjes in komen. Ouzo kan zowel puur als met water aangelengd worden gedronken. Ook kan de ouzo met een ijsblokje erin worden gedronken. Puur is de drank helder, met water aangelengd wordt ouzo iets melkachtig. Dit wordt veroorzaakt door de etherische oliën (terpenen) uit de anijs die moeilijk in water oplosbaar zijn en een emulsie veroorzaken. Hoe meer anijs er tijdens het distilleren wordt toegevoegd, des te troebeler zal de ouzo worden bij aanlenging met water. De Griekse ouzeries (het achtervoegsel "-erie" is ontleend aan het Frans) zijn in veel steden en dorpen te vinden. In deze gelegenheden wordt de ouzo geserveerd met een schaaltje hapjes, de mezedes. Meestal gaat het om kleine stukjes inktvis, gezouten sardines, gebakken courgette, komkommer of tomaat.
Français
L'ouzo est une boisson alcoolisée anisée grecque fabriquée à base d'alcool neutre mélangé à divers aromates (principalement l'anis) puis distillé et dilué. Depuis 1989, la règlementation européenne précise que l'ouzo doit être produit en Grèce pour avoir le droit à cette dénomination. Il ne faut pas le confondre avec la famille des alcools produits à base de raisin (marc ou fruit entier) fermenté puis distillé, comme les rakı et tsípouro, même si leur goût est parfois proche lorsque ceux-ci sont aromatisés à l'anis (ce qui est souvent le cas en Turquie et au Proche-Orient). Son degré alcoolique est compris entre 38 et 50 degrés, voire plus. Il est incolore et devient blanc au contact de l'eau, par micro-émulsion de l'anéthol qu'il contient. Généralement servi accompagné de glaçons, il peut se consommer pur ou allongé d'eau. Un grand nombre de maisons qui produisent aujourd'hui de l'ouzo ont leur maison mère dans l'île de Mytilène (Lesbos) et particulièrement dans la petite ville de Plomari sur le littoral sud de l'île. Le mot ouzo est d'étymologie incertaine : entre autres il pourrait venir de l'expression italienne: « Uso Massalia », à l'usage de Marseille, écrite sur des caisses de transport1,2 ou du turc üzüm, raisin. L'alcool neutre d'origine agricole est mélangé aux aromates puis distillé ; le produit est ensuite soit mélangé avec de l'alcool pur (le pourcentage de produit distillé devant être d'au moins 20 %)3 soit simplement dilué avec de l'eau pour diminuer son degré alcoolique (le coût de revient est alors plus élevé). La réglementation ne définit pas précisément le type d'anis utilisé (anis vert ou badiane), certaines étiquettes comportent une image de badiane
English
Ouzo is an anise-flavoured aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece and Cyprus. Ouzo has its roots in tsipouro, which is said to have been the work of a group of 14th-century monks on Mount Athos. One version of it was flavoured with anise. This version eventually came to be called ouzo. Modern ouzo distillation largely took off in the beginning of the 19th century following Greek independence. The first ouzo distillery was founded in Tyrnavos in 1856 by Nikolaos Katsaros, giving birth to the famous ouzo Tyrnavou. When absinthe fell into disfavour in the early 20th century, ouzo was one of the products whose popularity rose to fill the gap; it was once called "a substitute for absinthe without the wormwood".[2] In 1932, ouzo producers developed a method of distillation using copper stills that is now the standard method of production. One of the largest producers of ouzo today is Varvayiannis located in the town of Plomari in the southeast portion of the island of Lesbos, while in the same town Pitsiladi , a variety of high-quality ouzo, is also distilled. Ouzo is traditionally mixed with water, becoming cloudy white, sometimes with a faint blue tinge, and served with ice cubes in a small glass. Ouzo can also be drunk straight from a shot glass. Ouzo is traditionally served with a small plate of a variety of appetizers called mezes, usually small fresh fish, fries, olives and feta cheese. Ouzo can be described to have a similar taste to absinthe which is liquorice-like, but smoother. On October 25, 2006, Greece won the right to label ouzo as an exclusively Greek product The European Union now recognizes ouzo, as well as the Greek drinks tsipouro and tsikoudia, as products with a Protected Designation of Origin, which prohibits European makers other than Greece and Cyprus from using the name. The origin of the name "ouzo" is disputed. A popular derivation is from the Italian "uso Massalia"—for use in Marseille—stamped on selected silkworm cocoons exported from Tyrnavos in the 19th century. According to anecdote, this designation came to stand for "superior quality", which the spirit distilled as ouzo was thought to possess. Oldest Ouzo Distillery During a visit to Thessaly in 1896, the late professor Alexander Philadelpheus delivered to us valuable information on the origins of the word "ouzo", which has come to replace the word "tsipouro". According to the professor, tsipouro gradually became ouzo after the following event: Thessaly exported fine cocoons to Marseilles during the 19th century, and in order to distinguish the product, outgoing crates would be stamped with the words "uso Massalia"—Italian for "to be used in Marseille". One day, the Ottoman Greek consulate physician, named Anastas (Anastasios) Bey, happened to be visiting the town of Tyrnavos and was asked to sample the local tsipouro. Upon tasting the drink, the physician immediately exclaimed: "This is uso Massalia, my friends"—referring to its high quality. The term subsequently spread by word of mouth, untiltsipouro gradually became known as ouzo. Another hypothesis is that the word "ouzo" comes from the Turkish word üzüm "grape" Ouzo production begins with distillation in copper stills of 96 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) rectified spirit. Anise is added, sometimes with other flavorings such as star anise, fennel, mastic, cardamom,coriander, cloves, and cinnamon. The flavoring ingredients are often closely guarded company "recipes", and distinguish one ouzo from another The result is a flavored alcoholic solution known asflavored ethyl alcohol, or more commonly as ouzo yeast—μαγιά ούζου in Greek—the term for "yeast" being used by Greeks metaphorically to denote that it serves as the starting point for ouzo production. The ouzo yeast is then distilled. After several hours of distillation, a flavored distillate of approximately 80 ABV (% Alcohol By Volume) is produced. The spirit at the beginning of the distillation ( heads) and end (tails ) is usually removed to avoid heavy aromatics. The heads and tails are usually mixed and distilled again. The product of this second distillation can be used to produce a different quality ouzo . This technique of double-distillation is used by some distillers to differentiate their product/s Makers of high-quality "100% from distillation" ouzo proceed at this stage with water dilution, bringing the ouzo to its final ABV. But most producers combine the "ouzo yeast" with less expensive ethyl alcohol flavored with 0.05 percent naturalanethole, before water dilution. Greek law dictates that in this case the ouzo yeast cannot be less than 20 percent of the final product. Sugar may be added before water dilution, which is done mostly with ouzo from Southern Greece. The final ABV is usually between 37.5 and 50 percent; the minimum allowed is 37.5 percent Ouzo production itself does not include fermentation.