There is a classification of types of consumption of alcoholic beverages that have developed under the influence of cultural, historical, economic and national traditions. The northern regions of Europe are characterized by the use of strong alcoholic beverages, Central Europe uses beer, the southern regions prefer wine. Naturally, there is no clear geographical border, and the Finns can also competently understand the taste of wine, and the Italians knock over a glass of vodka at dinner.
Wine of all alcoholic beverages is the oldest. Most likely, humanity got acquainted with alcohol of natural origin, when it was forced to eat overripe fruits and berries. Subsequently, the production of alcohol in the southern regions became one of the main directions. But the end in itself in the production of wine products was not the production of alcohol, but the preservation of agricultural products, namely grapes. In ancient Greece, it was not customary to use pure wine; it was added to water to disinfect the latter.
Wine type of culture
The traditional countries that consume wine are Italy, Greece, Spain, France, as well as the countries of South and Latin America, where the majority of the population is represented by immigrants from the Mediterranean. Typically, for these regions, wine consumption is not an end in itself. Wine in these countries belongs to the category of food products (in contrast to Russia). Drinking wine at lunch, a person complements the flavoring bouquet of the product. Therefore, there are a number of rules - white wine is served with fish and poultry, red wine is served with meat, dessert wine completes the dinner. Wine type of alcohol consumption is characterized by the fact that only natural products are used. The wine must go through a natural fermentation cycle, no additives, including flavoring, are allowed.
Beer type of culture
The consumption of beer also involves the use of products of natural origin. The traditional countries of the beer type of culture are the Czech Republic and Germany. In these countries, beer production is one of the main branches of production. Natural beer is brewed from cereals with the addition of malt and hops. Proportions, technologies - all this can constitute the know-how of a brewing company. There is a peculiarity of drinking beer - as a rule, beer is drunk either in the area of the brewery, because in specially designated places - beer halls. Therefore, beer implies company, communication. The taste of the drink, of course, matters, but more attention in this case is paid to the freshness of the product and a beer snack - it can be dried fish, crayfish, crackers.
The culture of drinking alcoholic beverages
The use of strong alcoholic beverages in the northern regions is primarily caused by climatic conditions. A small dose of strong alcohol can instantly warm up a frozen body, which is important in cold climates. Another reason is the lack of opportunities to grow their own raw materials for wine production. Strong alcoholic drinks are made from grapes (cognac, brandy), apples (calvados), and cereals, using distillation technologies - (vodka, whiskey, gin). Strong drinks cannot be combined into one category, since their use has diametrically opposite traditions. So vodka goes well with traditional Russian cuisine - dumplings, sauerkraut, pickled mushrooms and so on, cognac, brandy - a drink of business people, it goes well in combination with coffee to raise the tone. It is generally not customary to use gin in its pure form - only in cocktails.
Culture in heads
If we talk specifically about the culture of alcohol consumption, then for any region, the abuse of alcoholic beverages is a general indicator of the culture of society. Alcoholic beverages themselves do no harm, those who do not know how to drink them do harm.
