|
The alcohol belts of Europe are regions in Europe which are considered to be divided by association with either beer, wine or spirits.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=442 — Distilled Geography: Europe's Alcohol Belts )〕〔David Grigg. (2004.) Wine, Spirits and Beer: World Patterns of Consumption, ''Geography'', 89(2):99-110. 〕 The alcohol belts refer to the traditional beverages of countries rather than what is most commonly drunk by the populace today, as in terms of drinking habits beer has become the most popular alcoholic drink in the whole world - including various parts of the wine and vodka belts. ==Vodka belt== Being an informal term, the "vodka belt" has no established definition. However, the general definition tends to include the following states as significant producers and consumers of vodka: *Poland〔("Krakow Beverages" ) at krakow-info.com〕 *Belarus *Ukraine *Russia (mostly)〔See, e.g., Korotayev A., Khaltourina D. (Russian Demographic Crisis in Cross-National Perspective. ''Russia and Globalization: Identity, Security, and Society in an Era of Change'' ). Ed. by D. W. Blum. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. P. 37-78; Khaltourina, D. A., & Korotayev, A. V. ('Potential for alcohol policy to decrease the mortality crisis in Russia', Evaluation & the Health Professions, vol. 31, no. 3, Sep 2008. pp. 272–281 ).〕 *Baltic states (Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania) *Most of the Nordic states (Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland)〔Alexander Stubb, (The European Vodka Wars ), a December 2006 ''Blue Wings'' article〕 The few EU countries of the vodka Belt produce over 70% of the EU's vodka.〔 The southern boundary of the "vodka belt" roughly corresponds to −2 °C January isotherm. With the exception of Ukraine and some regions of southern Russia, cultivation of grapes is impossible or very difficult in the Vodka belt. Sometimes the term "vodka belt" is used while referring exclusively to the Slavic countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as they are the historical homeland of vodka (Poland and Russia being the nations most often associated with the invention of the drink). Before the 19th century, vodka was considered very much a "people's drink" that was common among the peasantry who made up the majority of the population in most countries of the time, while the political and aristocratic minority preferred imported wines or other alcoholic beverages that were considered less plebeian.〔 There are exceptions, with Żubrówka - a type of Polish vodka that dates back to the 16th century, became popular among the szlachta (nobility) as well as the peasantry as early as the 18th century. In his book about the Soviet Union,〔Alex de Jonge, "Stalin and the Shaping of the Soviet Union", Collins, (1986), ISBN 0-688-04730-0, ''(the relevant excerpt online )''〕 Alex de Jonge elaborates on his concept of "geoalcoholics". In particular, he explains Russian peculiarities by their belonging to the vodka belt and the absence of the beer belt in the Soviet Union. Other than the prevalent hard liquor the vodka belt is also characterised by a higher occurrence of binge drinking compared to the rest of Europe.〔("Alcohol Alert Digest" ), Institute of Alcohol Studies, UK.〕 Likewise, in his ''Russia and the Russians'', historian Geoffrey Hoskins notes the distinct effect vodka culture has had on the countries of the former Russian Empire, creating drinking as a social problem on a different level from other European countries. In many countries historically belonging to the vodka Belt, vodka has been supplanted by beer as the alcoholic drink of choice since the early 21st century. Residents of Finland and Sweden consume twice as much beer as vodka (in terms of pure alcohol).〔(ALCOHOL IN POSTWAR EUROPE: A DISCUSSION OF INDICATORS ON CONSUMPTION AND ALCOHOL-RELATED HARM )〕 The Polish Beer-Lovers' Party (which won 16 seats in the Sejm in 1991) was founded on the notion of fighting alcoholism by a cultural abandonment of vodka for beer. And indeed in 1998, beer surpassed vodka as the most popular alcoholic drink in Poland.〔(CONDITIONS OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES CONSUMPTION AMONG POLISH CONSUMERS )〕 In Russia, annual consumption of beer has grown from 12 litres per capita in 1995 to 67 litres in 2006 (but still remains lower than consumption of vodka). The term has been generating much buzz since 2006 in relating to the "vodka war"〔(Vodka war: "MEPs serve up a compromise cocktail" ), a Europarliament news article〕 within the European Union about the standardisation of vodka: the Vodka Belt countries insist that only spirits produced from grains and potato must be allowed to be branded as "vodka", according to the long established traditions of its production, a brand protection similar to the "protected designation of origin".〔〔("EU Farm Chief Warns of Legal Action in Vodka Row" ), a 25 October 2006 Reuters article〕〔("A spirited war: The search for the real vodka" ), ''International Herald Tribune'', November 23, 2006〕 The "Schnellhardt compromise", proposed by Horst Schnellhardt, suggests that vodkas from other than cereals, potatoes and molasses, should be labeled to say "Vodka produced from..."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alcohol belts of Europe」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|