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Alcohol (Raksi or Madira) It is legal to produce upto 60 Litres of fermented beverage and distill 30 litres Raksi per year for personal consumption, but it's illegal to sell home-made Raksi spirit in Nepal. The mixed society coupled with caste and multiple ethnic results in an extremely complex social structure which also generally affects alcohol consumption among the people based on their background. There are mainly two types of people in Nepal depending on alcohol use. The group of people who do not drink or use alcohol are called Tagadhari (तगाधारी) (Holy Cord (Janai) Wearer), and the other group who drink alcohol are called Matawali. Traditionally, the Brahmins and Kshatriyas are the Janai wearers and are forbidden from consuming alcohol, with the exception of Matwali Chhetris of Karnali region who are permitted to use alcohol. Alcohol also plays an important role in rituals, festivals and religious ceremonies. Matwalis largely use alcohol for their traditional purposes and generally brew alcohol by themselves. Peoples such as the Tharu, Kirati people, Magar, Gurung, Tamang, and Newars [1] preserve these practices.
Traditionally, Matwali men are allowed to drink freely while women are somewhat restricted from the open consumption of alcohol despite playing an instrumental role in the preparation of the beverage.
In Hindu culture, alcohol is often described as Soma. In the epic of Ramayana and Mahabharata, there are mentions of drinking alcohol by gods and goddesses as a recreational food. In ancient and medieval Nepal, the Kirats, Shakyas, Lichhavis, etc. had already formed a trade relationship with Tibet, India, and China from whence drinking culture probably entered Nepal. The Lele inscription of Shivadeva I and Amshuverma dated 526 AD mentioned alcohol as Paniyagosthi. In the inscription of Jayalambha dated 413 AD, the word Karanapuja is used referring to the alcohol; the inscription was found near Pashupatinath Temple. [2]
The Christian Father Ippolito Desideri, who travelled Nepal about 1720, had a written account of a pungent-smelling liquor made from millet. He also mentions arac , a drink made from wheat or rice.
In modern Nepal, the Maluki Ain of 1854 categorically classified Nepalese society into five categories. One of them was the Tagadhari who were not allowed to drink, while the remaining four were allowed to drink. In the modern constitution, however, there is no such distinction and everyone is equally allowed to use alcohol according to their personal preference.
Alcohol is used for various rituals by various indegeneious communities especially the one influenced by Tantric methods. Some are described below. [3]
Sherpas use alcohol in marriage and festivals extensively. It is also given to the new mothers as Dejyang. When used as a business settlement, it is called Chhongjyang.
Ha Thon is a festival to worship Swyeta Bhairab in which the Samayabji and Aila is distributed as the blessing of Bhairab. Alcohol also forms a part of Sagan. In gathering and festival (Bhoj), liquor is generally served by a female.
During the marriage, alcohol is offered to deities called Deuryar. In the hair cutting ritual celebrated in Falgun (February -March), alcohol is offered to deities to accept the ritual's starting. Drinking and dancing are one of the core cultures of Tharus.
In the Kirati community, a marriage proposal is not accepted by the girl's family unless the groom sends them alcohol on three occasions as Sodhani, Multheki and Bhakah. Kirati also use alcohol for various rituals and to worship gods and goddesses.
Groom needs to send 18 or 12 bottles of liquor to bride's house for marriage known as Chukunlah Pong. When someone dies, alcohol is offered to the deceased. The daughter brings alcohol to serve the funeral participants.
Couples are not allowed to go to the bride's home after marriage without taking wine and a leg of goat. This is called Duran.
Similar to kirati culture, Gurung family's marriage initiation also starts by sending alcohol to the bride's family by the groom. They also use alcohol as an offering to the deceased person.
A typical traditional beer brewing technique in Nepal consist of following steps: [8]
According to statistics, about 115 kg (254 lb) of rice is used to brew alcohol by Newar family annually, 110 kg by Sherpas, 160 kg by Khumbu and Rolwalingis. Tamang uses 80 kg and 400 kg by Tharus. [9]
Alcohol industry is one of the fastest-growing industry in Nepal. There are 36 alcohol producing industries in Nepal as of 2000. [10] These industries produces alcohol with concentration of 20%, 34%, 40% and 42.8%. Similarly, beers are produced with a concentration of 5 to 7% alcohol. The total production capacity is about 42 M liters per year. Besides, alcohol is also imported from Europe, America and Japan. [10]
Production and consumption of alcohol is controlled by the Madira Aain 2031. [11] Licence is required to sell alcohol. However, it permits brewing and consumption for household purposes without a license.
In 2017, a regulation was passed to set minimum age of 21 for alcohol purchase, regulate time of alcohol sales, require licensing of alcohol outlets and impose a ban on all kinds of alcohol advertisements and promotions. It also includes pictorial warning signs in the label of alcohol. [12]
Palm wine, known by several local names, is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm trees such as the palmyra, date palms, and coconut palms. It is known by various names in different regions and is common in various parts of Africa, the Caribbean, South America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Micronesia.
There is a long history of alcoholic drinks in China. They include rice and grape wine, beer, whisky and various liquors including baijiu, the most-consumed distilled spirit in the world.
Drinking culture is the set of traditions and social behaviours that surround the consumption of alcoholic beverages as a recreational drug and social lubricant. Although alcoholic beverages and social attitudes toward drinking vary around the world, nearly every civilization has independently discovered the processes of brewing beer, fermenting wine, and distilling spirits, among other practices. Many countries have developed their own regional cultures based on unique traditions around the fermentation and consumption of alcohol, which may also be known as a beer culture, wine culture etc. after a particularly prominent type of drink.
Baijiu, or shaojiu, is a colorless Chinese liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). Each type of baijiu uses its own type of qū for fermentation to create a distinct and characteristic flavor profile.
Chhaang or chhyang is a Nepalese and Tibetan alcoholic beverage popular in parts of the eastern Himalayas among the Yakkha, Limbu, Dura, Newar, Sunuwar, Rai, Gurung, Magar, Sherpa, Tamang, Tharus and Lepcha communities. Among the Lepcha, it is called Chi. It is also known as jaarh in Nepal.
Korean cuisine has a wide variety of traditional alcoholic drinks, known as sul (술). Many of these drinks end with the Sino-Korean word -ju, and some end with the native Korean word -sul. The Sino-Korean -ju is not used as an independent noun.
Purposeful production of alcoholic drinks is common and often reflects cultural and religious peculiarities as much as geographical and sociological conditions.
Raksi (Devanagari:रक्सी) or Rakshi is the Nepali term for a traditional distilled alcoholic beverage in Nepal, India and Tibet. It is often made at home.
Nepali cuisine comprises a variety of cuisines based upon ethnicity, alluvial soil and climate relating to cultural diversity and geography of Nepal and neighboring regions of Sikkim and Gorkhaland. Dal-bhat-tarkari is eaten throughout Nepal. Dal is a soup made of lentils and spices, bhat — usually rice but sometimes another grain — and a vegetable curry, tarkari. Condiments are usually small amounts of spicy pickle which can be fresh or fermented, mainly of dried mustard greens and radish and of which there are many varieties. Other accompaniments may be sliced lemon (nibuwa) or lime (kagati) with fresh green chilli and a fried papad and also Islamic food items like rice pudding, sewai, biryani etc. Dhindo (ढिंडो) is a traditional food of Nepal. A typical example of Nepali cuisine is the Chaurasi Byanjan set where bhat (rice) is served in a giant leaf platter (patravali) along with 84 different Nepali dishes each served on small plates. It is mostly fed during weddings and Pasni(rice feeding ceremony).
In the cuisine of Sikkim, in northeastern India, rice is a staple food, and fermented foods traditionally constitute a significant portion of the cuisine. Nepalese cuisine is popular, as Sikkim is the only state of India with an ethnic Nepali majority. Many restaurants in Sikkim serve various types of Nepalese cuisine, such as the Limbu, Newa and Thakali cuisines. Tibetan cuisine has also influenced Sikkimese cuisine. The combination of various cuisines has resulted in one specific cuisine.
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Sulai is a rectified spirit brewed in the Northeast Indian state of Assam. A clear, colourless alcohol, Sulai is known as tharra in north India, handia or pheni in Nepal, and referred to as country liquor in colloquial parlance. It is generally brewed from fermented molasses or occasionally rice.
Aylā is a Newari beverage prepared by distillation of fermented ingredients such as rice, grains and millet. Apart from casual drinking, Aila is an important part of festivals in Nepal. This liquor is usually homemade and prepared by traditional methods. Its preparation is not yet commercial in Nepal, however it is sold in restaurant that serve Newa cuisine. It can be bought in local Newari restaurants. CNN has noted it as being one of the "50 most delicious drinks in the world".
Alcohol in Indonesia refers to the alcohol industry, alcohol consumption and laws related to alcohol in the South East Asian country of Indonesia. Indonesia is a Muslim majority country, yet it is also a pluralist, democratic and secular nation. These social and demographic conditions led to Islamic parties and pressure groups pushing the government to restrict alcohol consumption and trade, while the government carefully considers the rights of non-Muslims and consenting adults to consume alcohol, and estimates the possible alcohol ban effects on Indonesian tourism and the economy.
Alcohol in Malaysia refers to the consumption, industry and laws of alcohol in the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia. Although Malaysia is a Muslim majority country, the country permits the selling of alcohol to non-Muslims. There are no nationwide alcohol bans being enforced in the country, with the exception of Kelantan and Terengganu which is only for Muslims. The Islamic party respects the rights of non-Muslims and non-Muslim establishments like Chinese restaurants and grocery shops are excluded from such bans. The federal territory of Kuala Lumpur has the highest alcohol consumption in the country, followed by the states of Sarawak in second place and Sabah in third place.
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