Ginjinha or simply Ginja, is a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

made by infusing ''ginja'' berries (

sour cherry ''Prunus cerasus'' (sour cherry, tart cherry, or dwarf cherry) is a species of ''Prunus'' in the subgenus '' Cerasus'' ( cherries), native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry (''Prunus avium''), but ...

, ''Prunus cerasus austera'', the Morello cherry) in alcohol (

aguardente (Spanish), or (Portuguese) ( eu, pattar; ca, aiguardent; gl, augardente), is a generic term for alcoholic beverages that contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It originates in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and in Ib ...

) and adding sugar together with other ingredients, with cloves and/or cinnamon sticks being the most common. Ginjinha is served in a shot form with a piece of the fruit in the bottom of the cup. It is a favourite liqueur of many Portuguese and a typical drink in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, Alcobaça, Óbidos,

Marvão Marvão () is a municipality in Portalegre District in Portugal. The population in 2020 was 2,972 (and dropping at a rate of around one inhabitant per week), in an area of 154.90 km2. The present Mayor is Luís Vitorino, elected by the Socia ...

Covilhã Covilhã () is a city and a municipality in the Centro region, Portugal. The city proper had 34,772 inhabitants in 2001. The municipality population in 2011 was 51,797, in an area of . It is located in the Beiras e Serra da Estrela subregion and B ...

and

Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...

. The

Serra da Estrela Serra da Estrela () is the highest mountain range in Continental Portugal. Together with the Serra da Lousã it is the westernmost constituent range of the Sistema Central and also one of the highest in the system. It includes mainland Portugal's ...

ginja, centered around Covilhã, has

protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...

History

The Ginjinha of the ''Praça de São Domingos'' in Lisbon was the first establishment in that city to commercialize the drink that gives its name to it. A Galician

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...

of the Church of

Santo António Santo António (Portuguese for Saint Anthony), also known as Santo António do Príncipe, is the main settlement of the island of Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe. It lies on the north east coast. It is the capital of the Autonomous Regio ...

, Francisco Espinheira, had the experience of leaving ''ginja'' berries in

, adding sugar, water and cinnamon. The success was immediate and Ginjinha became the typical drink of Lisbon. In the 2000s, the business was in the hands of the fifth generation. Around 150,000 litres of Ginjinha are produced each year, around 90% is consumed in Portugal and only around 10% is exported, the majority of it to the United States. The traditional liqueur is served all around Portugal, but is especially prominent in the Oeste and

regions. In Óbidos, Ginjinha is commonly served in a small edible chocolate cup.

Ginjinha bars in Lisbon

*''Ginjinha Espinheira'', since 1840. *''Ginjinha Sem Rival,'' since 1890. *''Ginjinha Rubi'', since 1931. *''Ginginha do Carmo'', since 2011.

''Ginja de Óbidos e Alcobaça''

The sour cherry used to produce the Ginja from Alcobaça and Óbidos was applied for a PGI status in 2013.Ginja de Óbidos e Alcobaça
in th

database of the European Union. Retrieved 2014-03-16. Ginja de Alcobaça.jpg, A bottle of Ginja from Alcobaça Óbidos' "Ginja" (3982328290).jpg, Ginja from Óbidos Ginjinha (Cherry Liqueurs) (5943300050).jpg, Chocolate cup Ginja in Óbidos

References

External links

{{commons * Ginja de Alcobaç
www.ginja.pt

Portuguese liqueurs Portuguese products with protected designation of origin Cherry liqueurs and spirits Fruit liqueurs

History

Ginjinha bars in Lisbon

''Ginja de Óbidos e Alcobaça''

See also

References

External links