The "modern" drink called rum dates back to the 17th century, but its precursors date back much further; thousands of years is an estimate.
Rum is a distilled (the first product of alcoholic fermentation is then distilled to create a much stronger drink by removing much of the water) alcoholic drink with its origins in sugarcane. It is either produced from the juice of the sugarcane, or from sugarcane by-products. Sugarcane is a species of grass that is actually native to South Asia, despite its' association with the Caribbean. The stalks of sugarcane are rich in sugar.
Rum was first made in the Caribbean sugarcane plantations - the sugarcane having being transplanted there to grow - and today much of the rum is still produced in that region and in Latin America, but it is also produced in many other countries and regions around the world, especially those with a similar climate.
Rum comes id different varieties, but it is difficult to precisely determine what rum is, as this depends on the country in question. The more common varieties are probably those called light, or white (a clear liquid) and dark, which are red, black or brown. There are also gold rums, which are lighter than dark rums, and rums with other things added to them.
Rum has some strong associations, such as Bacardi, who produce white rum, and with the British Royal Navy, for whom a tot of navy rum was given as a daily ration in place of French brandy in the 17th century, as Britain had seized control of Jamaica, a rum-producing island.
No comments:
Post a Comment