“Palinka” in Hungarian Legal History – From the First Detailed Law to the Prohibition (1836–1919)
“Palinka” in Hungarian Legal History – From the First Detailed Law to the Prohibition (1836–1919)

Summary/Abstract: Although fruit spirits are brewed all over the world, based on the decision of the European Union, the name “palinka” nowadays can only be used by Hungary and four Austrian provinces for those apricot spirits that comply with the protection of origin. The Hungarian expression palinka borrowed from the Slovakian word “palenka”, has been used since the 17th century, and originally not exclusively for fruit distillates. The first detailed and central regulation for such distillates in Hungary was Act No VI of 1836. This study presents the legal history of palinka from the first detailed law until the 1919 Prohibition promulgated by the Socialist Federative Republic of Councils in Hungary. The research was primarily based on the analysis of Hungarian legal sources regarding the production, consumption, taxation, export and import of spirits, based on the Corpus Juris Hungarici, during the period under review.

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