Alcohol is Arabic

[Ahmed Jo]

Alcohol is Arabic. Quite literally the etymology of the word ‘alcohol’ points modern readers and consumers to layered, and often buried, roots in the Middle East. Al-kohl once referred to the metallic powder used as eye shadow, and was thereafter used to describe a family of beverages.

Arabs are not only to credit for the word alcohol, but spirits themselves have a rich history rooted in medieval and pre-Islamic Arabic culture. Beer and wine have existed for millennia, but spirits as we know them today are a fairly recent phenomena dating back a little over a thousand years. Spirits are products of a chemistry that was revolutionized by the early Arabs. Brewers practiced a science now known as alchemy in order to distill strong liquors and fortify beers, most failed. The term alchemy points to further Arabic origins, al-kimia, or the Arabic word for chemistry practiced in Kemet (or Egypt) allowed Arabs scientists to go beyond their Roman and Greek contemporaries.

Alas, there is no conclusive evidence corroborating theories on who in the Middle East first distilled liquor, but what we do know is that by the ninth century Arab poets, namely Jaber bin Hayyan and Abu Nawas, were writing about a liquid that is, “as hot between the ribs as a firebrand”. It is in the eighth century, in Baghdad and throughout the Arab lands, that historians trace the first textual references to hard liquor. Arabs had perfected the technique of distilling drinks, increasing ethanol content and removing the traces of poisonous methanol.

Traders went on to spread this knowledge, and arak became an emblematic Arab libation. In Arabic, arak, literally means sweat, this refers to the ‘sweating’ process by which the wine is distilled into liquor. Typically, it is then steeped in anise, which gives it its signature licorice taste. This drink, and the advanced brewing practices which made it possible, spread as far east as China and Bali, and as far west as Spain and France. At each stop it took on local dimensions, flavors, and names, e.g. pastis, raki, ouzo, sambuca, and others. This is not a difference in name only, significant regional varieties exist; in South and Southeast Asia it is made with the sap of flowering coconut, in Egypt it is made with the juice of dates, and in Italy it is made with witch elder and licorice.

Arak, remains central in Arab cuisine, notably in mezzes, small plates featuring different meats, salads, and dips. The liquor is mixed with ice creating its signature milky appearance. After being watered down, arak is slightly more intoxicating than a strong wine and supposedly, a better palate cleanser between bites of a mezze.

The irony this tale highlights is that the economic, social, and cultural exchanges fostered by the Islamic empires spread the practice of distilling hard liquor, and arak itself. Indeed, alcohol is forbidden in Islam, but today (and hundreds of years ago) Muslims have been able to negotiate their own faith, just like people of all other religious backgrounds.

At the height of Islam, arak travelled three continents. Many claim that the best is made in the hills of Lebanon where villagers brew their own, while others swear by their local varieties. In any case, spirit, and spirits unite us, and that may be worth drinking to.

Cheers, or should I say, saha!

Beshouy Botros is an intern with the Arab American Institute

 

[nForce]

I had this Fakra Arak when I had gone to Egypt. This is a local alcohol and apparently very famous. It had a strong smell on Fennel seeds and a very strong taste. I sipped it first, then gulped it down, did not have the courage to go for another one.

 

[untitled]

I thought Arq meant extract as in Arq-e-Gulab

I did not know it was rose sweating

 

[The SiLent crY]

Alcohol was discovered by an Iranian scientist called Zakaria Razi .

Heck even Jabir Ibn Hayyan was an Iranian scientist .

Instead of naming their works as arabic just use Islamic term because wether you like it or don't , Iranians had a very significant part in Islam's golden age .

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Alcohol was discovered by an Iranian scientist called Zakaria Razi .

Heck even Jabir Ibn Hayyan was an Iranian scientist .

Instead of naming their works as arabic just use Islamic term because wether you like it or don't , Iranians had a very significant part in Islam's golden age .

Are you insane?

The first recorded alcoholic beverages (purposely left to ferment) are recorded in the Arab world 10.000 BC during the Neolithic period. Nothing to do with Farsis.

History of alcoholic beverages - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jabir ibn Hayyan was Arab as were most scientists and scholars simply because Arabs were the vast majority of people and Muslims back then and still are by far in the MENA region.

All the work was written in Arabic too.

This article has nothing to do with Iran. Stop flooding Arab threads with nonsense all the time.

Arabs always preferred beverages rather than opium/drugs like in Iran and Afghanistan. Still seen to this day. Outside of Yemen which loves their khat which is a mild stimulant (leaf) that you chew and Morocco which loves its hashish. They make the best quality cannabis in the world.

 

[Ahmed Jo]

Arabs always preferred beverages rather than opium/drugs like in Iran and Afghanistan. Still seen to this day. Outside of Yemen which loves their khat which is a mild stimulant (leaf) that you chew and Morocco which loves its hashish. They make the best quality cannabis in the world.

Haha, to each his own but for me, any recreational drugs other than certain kinds of alcohol will never by my 'thing'

Alcohol was discovered by an Iranian scientist called Zakaria Razi .

Heck even Jabir Ibn Hayyan was an Iranian scientist .

Instead of naming their works as arabic just use Islamic term because wether you like it or don't , Iranians had a very significant part in Islam's golden age .

Sir, Jabir ibn hayyan's father was Syrian and he lived in Iraq so how exactly did you determine he was an Iranian scientist?

 

[Madali]

Let's not get into another dick size comparing contest again.

To trace back who first discovered alcohol is silly. A fermented drink is not rocket science. You want to make wine the easiest way? Put some grapes in a container, squish them, add water, and put it in a dry, warm place. Wine. Do you think you needed smart brains to figure that out? I bet any tribe at any point of time could figure out that by accident.

 

[al_asad_al_mulk]

Alcohol was discovered by an Iranian scientist called Zakaria Razi .

Heck even Jabir Ibn Hayyan was an Iranian scientist .

Instead of naming their works as arabic just use Islamic term because wether you like it or don't , Iranians had a very significant part in Islam's golden age .

You are blessed with ignorance

 

[Ahmed Jo]

Let's not get into another dick size comparing contest again.

To trace back who first discovered alcohol is silly. A fermented drink is not rocket science. You want to make wine the easiest way? Put some grapes in a container, squish them, add water, and put it in a dry, warm place. Wine. Do you think you needed smart brains to figure that out? I bet any tribe at any point of time could figure out that by accident.

Wrong wrong wrong! Unless you want to get really sick, that's not how you make wine. By the way, I think what they said was Jabir had discovered the way to succesfully distillate wines rather than just make them, wine is much older than that after all.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Haha, to each his own but for me, any recreational drugs other than certain kinds of alcohol will never by my 'thing'


Sir, Jabir ibn hayyan's father was Syrian and he lived in Iraq so how exactly did you determine he was an Iranian scientist?

Arabs and Semites for that matter loved their beverages. Phoenicians pretty much spread wine to the remaining world, especially Europe when they colonized large areas of Southern Europe through maritime networks.

Phoenicians and wine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beer was invented in Mesopotamia.

First recorded alcoholic beverages were invented in the Arab/Semitic Near East as well like so much else.

History of alcoholic beverages - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So it's fitting that Alcohol is an Arab word.

Not only that alcohol (wine, beer etc.) was very common in Arabia too. Even if we read Islamic history we notice that many of the most revered Islamic figures, before their conversion to Islam, were fond of drinking wine and beer.

Hijaz for instance was very famous for its wine production in ancient times and a major exporter. To this day grapes of great quality are grown in the mountainous regions of Hijaz.

Ancient maps:

Notice the "wine grain" region above.

Arabs in general, Muslim included, are much more lenient towards alcohol than drugs with the exclusion of Yemen and Morocco as I mentioned.

Speaking about beverages, don't forget that coffee was invented by Arabs too in Sufi monasteries in Yemen.

History of coffee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's funny that Arabs of today have almost totally abstained from alcohol given the history. Of course the reason for that is obviously Islam.

 

[Ahmed Jo]

Arabs and Semites for that matter loved their beverages. Phoenicians pretty much spread wine to the remaining world, especially Europe when they colonized large areas of Southern Europe through maritime networks.

Phoenicians and wine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beer was invented in Mesopotamia.

First recorded alcoholic beverages were invented in the Arab/Semitic Near East as well like so much else.

History of alcoholic beverages - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So it's fitting that Alcohol is an Arab word.

Not only that alcohol (wine, beer etc.) was very common in Arabia too. Even if we read Islamic history we notice that many of the most revered Islamic figures, before their conversion to Islam, were fond of drinking wine and beer.

Hijaz for instance was very famous for its wine production in ancient times and a major exporter. To this day grapes of great quality are grown in the mountainous regions of Hijaz.

Ancient maps:

Notice the "wine grain" region above.

Arabs in general, Muslim included, are much more lenient towards alcohol than drugs with the exclusion of Yemen and Morocco as I mentioned.

Speaking about beverages, don't forget that coffee was invented by Arabs too in Sufi monasteries in Yemen.

History of coffee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arabs have really let themselves go lately, haven't they? We should focus a lot more on the sciences (and I don't mean the religious kind) as our ancestors did.

 

[third eye]

...Going by the title, assuming it to be true , would it qualify as " One of the Muslim inventions that changed the world " ?

 

[Ahmed Jo]

Arabs have really let themselves go lately, haven't they? We should focus a lot more on the sciences (and I don't mean the religious kind) as our ancestors did.

By the way, my own hometown in irbid (northern Jordan) was famous for its wines many centuries ago! Nowadays just olives and some other things, which is fine too.

...Going by the title, assuming it to be true , would it qualify as " One of the Muslim inventions that changed the world " ?

Well, I don't think alcohol can be classified a Muslim invention, only alcoholic spirits maybe.

 

[Madali]

Wrong wrong wrong! Unless you want to get really sick, that's not how you make wine. By the way, I think what they said was Jabir had discovered the way to succesfully distillate wines rather than just make them, wine is much older than that after all.

In its simplest form, you can make it. How can it make you sick? We add yeast & sugar to speed up the natural process, but even without those, that's how we get alcohol.

I know the thread was originally about distillate wine, but notice how fast the thread is shifting away from that, and going towards trying to claim which DNA first discovered getting drunk.

 

[third eye]

Well, I don't think alcohol can be classified a Muslim invention, only alcoholic spirits maybe.

I agree .

Good things in life cannot be the originating preserve of a few.

What I wrote was in jest.

Actually, I think God made it , Humans at best improved it !!