Moonshine in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth: A History of a Fiery Spirit

Part Three: From the “Water of Life” to Harelka

Based on Gabriel Rzączyński's work, Historia Naturalis Curiosa Regni Poloniae… (Sandomierz, 1721).

Introduction: Our History of Strong Spirits

In the previous parts of this series, we explored two of the most important beverages enjoyed by our ancestors — mead and grain-based beer. Now it is time to introduce the third protagonist: a strong, fiery drink produced through distillation.

This article is about harelka, the Belarusian name for a traditional grain-based spirit, also known by the Polish term gorzałka and the Latin expression aqua vitae, meaning “water of life.” For modern readers, the closest familiar equivalent may be “moonshine,” although historical production methods and the meanings of these terms did not entirely correspond to their modern usage.

First, however, it is important to explain why the history of this beverage in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth is also part of our own Belarusian history.

A substantial part of present-day Belarus belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which continued to exist as a constituent part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth following the Union of Lublin in 1569. The history of beverages in this state is therefore not some distant, exclusively Polish or Lithuanian story. It is also the history of the lands, towns, and communities that contributed to the development of modern Belarus.

From this perspective, the work of the Jesuit and naturalist Gabriel Rzączyński is particularly fascinating. His Historia Naturalis Curiosa Regni Poloniae, Magni Ducatus Litvaniae annexarumque provinciarum was published in Sandomierz in 1721.

In this book, Rzączyński compiled extensive information about the natural world, economy, products, and customs of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, including the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Among these accounts are descriptions of strong alcoholic beverages: their origins, ingredients, regional production, and supposed medicinal properties.

Let us examine this evidence from the perspective of the history of the Belarusian lands.

I. Where Did Harelka Come From? The Legend of a Man Named Ka

Referring to Pandora, a work by Aleksander Obodziński, Rzączyński recounts an entertaining legend explaining the origin of the word gorzałka.

According to the story, a young man named Ka arrived in Kraków from the East, disguised as a pilgrim. There, he began producing a strong alcoholic drink through distillation.

One day, Ka drank too much of his own spirit and began behaving in the town square as though he were literally burning from within. Onlookers supposedly exclaimed: Gorzał Ka! — “Ka was burning!”

And so, according to the legend, the drink acquired the name gorzałka.

Of course, this is not a historically verified account of the invention of distilled spirits. It is an example of folk etymology — an attempt to explain the origin of a word through a memorable story.

Nevertheless, the legend itself is historically interesting. It demonstrates how early modern writers attempted to understand the origins of a beverage that had become familiar to them.

For us, the similarities between the names are particularly intriguing: Polish gorzałka, Belarusian гарэлка (harelka), and Ukrainian горілка. These words belong to closely related linguistic and cultural traditions associated with burning, fire, and strong alcoholic spirits.

Although the story of Ka cannot serve as a scientific explanation of the word's origin, it vividly captures the image of a drink that burns in both the literal and figurative senses.

II. What Was Harelka Made From? Grain and Spices

Rzączyński's account indicates that grain-based agricultural products were the principal raw materials used to make strong spirits.

Among the ingredients mentioned are:

• Rye — one of the grains used to prepare the base for the beverage.
• Oats — another type of grain used as a raw material.
• Barley malt (braseum) — germinated and prepared grain used in the production of alcoholic beverages.

Particular attention is also given to aromatic ingredients. These include anise, zedoary (the aromatic rhizome of Curcuma zedoaria), rosemary, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar.

Thus, the general category of distilled spirits could encompass quite different products, ranging from relatively simple grain distillates to beverages flavoured with spices and other aromatic ingredients.

This is an important detail. Historical harelka was not necessarily an unflavoured strong spirit in the modern sense. Some varieties may have resembled spiced infusions or flavoured distilled beverages in their composition and character.

What does this tell us about the history of Belarus?

The lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania formed part of the broader economic system of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Grain was cultivated, beer was brewed, malt was produced, and cereal products were used across various sectors of the economy.

Rzączyński's observations about grain-based ingredients are therefore relevant to the study of historical distillation in the territories of present-day Belarus.

At the same time, a general list of ingredients does not establish the precise recipes used in Polotsk, Minsk, Navahrudak, or Brest. Such details require further investigation using local estate inventories, economic records, and historical recipe collections.

III. Where Was Harelka Distilled? The Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Its Neighbouring Lands

Perhaps the most interesting part of Rzączyński's account for our purposes is its geographical information.

When describing the distribution of strong alcoholic beverages, the author draws attention to the eastern and northeastern regions of the historical Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Among the territories mentioned are:

• Lithuania — in its historical sense, associated with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania;
• Volhynia;
• Rus’ — a historical geographical designation that should not automatically be equated with the modern Russian Federation;
• Ukraine — as understood in the geographical terminology of that period.

The account includes a vivid image of smoking copper kettles and distillation apparatus. This description suggests that distilling was a noticeable feature of economic life in these regions.

For Belarusian history, the reference to Lithuania is particularly significant.

In 17th- and 18th-century sources, the name “Lithuania” was not limited to the territory of today's Republic of Lithuania. It could refer to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and its lands, including a substantial part of present-day Belarus.

Consequently, when examining historical evidence concerning the economy of Lithuania, we must also consider the Belarusian lands that formed part of the Grand Duchy.

This does not mean that every description of distillation in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth automatically proves the existence of identical production practices in every locality of Belarus. Nevertheless, Rzączyński's testimony makes it possible to place these lands within the broader historical context of grain-based distillation.

This is precisely why the history of harelka in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania deserves independent study as part of the history of Belarusian beverages, alongside beer and mead.

IV. Gdańsk's Doppel-anisä: Grain, Anise, and Maritime Trade

A separate place in Rzączyński's description is devoted to a strong spirit produced in Gdańsk, known as Doppel-anisä — literally, “double anise.”

According to the author's account, this beverage was made from rye grain with the addition of barley malt, along with aromatic ingredients, particularly anise.

The description mentions the addition of barley malt in a proportion of one quarter. However, without further examination of the original recipe wording, it is not possible to state with certainty that this represented exactly 25% of the total weight of the ingredients.

Ingredients of Doppel-anisä According to the Historical Account

Particularly interesting is the report that this beverage was shipped overseas for export.

This suggests that distillation in Gdańsk was not merely a local activity but also part of the trade in strong alcoholic beverages.

Gdańsk was one of the most important trading ports of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Goods from different regions of the state passed through the city.

For the history of Belarus, this account is especially relevant as an example of the broader economic system in which the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania participated. However, the report about Gdańsk's exports does not, by itself, demonstrate that the rye used in this particular spirit came from the territory of present-day Belarus.

This raises another promising historical research question: how were cereal products from the Belarusian lands connected with the production and trade of strong spirits?

Answering it will require further examination of historical commercial and economic records.

V. Harelka as Medicine: Medical Beliefs of the 18th Century

Today, strong alcohol is generally understood primarily as an alcoholic beverage. In early modern medical literature, however, distilled spirits were also regarded as substances with various supposed therapeutic properties.

Rzączyński records several such beliefs.

In particular, moderate consumption of strong spirits was believed to:

• Relieve heaviness or discomfort in the stomach;
• Aid digestion;
• Help with certain conditions involving the formation of stones, especially in the case of spirits distilled from oats.

The author also mentions methods of external or local application:

• For catarrh and a runny nose;
• As a rubbing preparation for spasms and hoarseness;
• In combination with nettles, for dropsy — a historical term for conditions involving abnormal fluid accumulation in the body.

These descriptions are interesting as evidence of historical medical beliefs, not as proof that alcohol has these therapeutic effects.

Rzączyński was describing the medical ideas of his time, when the boundaries between food products, alcoholic beverages, medicinal tinctures, and pharmaceutical preparations were not always drawn in the way we understand them today.

For the history of the Belarusian lands, this opens another field of research: the use of alcoholic distillates in the medical and economic practices of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Specific applications in individual towns and localities of present-day Belarus, however, must be established through additional evidence, including medical treatises, pharmacy inventories, and economic records.

Important: Historical recommendations concerning alcohol consumption should not be interpreted as modern medical advice.

VI. Between an Everyday Beverage and an Object of Criticism

Rzączyński's discussion of harelka is notable because the author does not limit himself to technical or medical details.

The legend of Ka already contains a clear warning about the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.

Elsewhere, the author addresses the use of grain for producing alcoholic spirits and refers to a work by Andrzej Maksymilian Fredro (Militarium, Book I).

Harelka therefore emerges not merely as a drink but also as an economic phenomenon associated with the consumption of agricultural resources.

It is important to avoid oversimplification here. A single historical account does not allow us to conclude that harelka was exclusively a drink of the poorest social classes or to determine its precise place within the social hierarchy of the entire Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Nevertheless, the relationship between distillation and other uses of grain — breadmaking, brewing, and the sale of agricultural products — presents an important subject for historical investigation.

For the Belarusian lands, this question is particularly relevant. The history of local grain production and distillation forms part of the broader history of beverage production in our region.

Further research into local sources may help establish who produced harelka, where it was sold, how much grain was used, and what role the beverage played in the lives of different social groups.

Conclusion: Harelka as Part of Belarusian Beverage History

Mead, grain-based beer, and harelka represent three different beverages, three technologies, and three aspects of the historical culture of our lands.

Mead is associated with beekeeping, honey-based fermentation, and festive drinking traditions. Beer is connected with grain cultivation, malting, and brewing. Harelka reflects the development of distillation, the production of strong spirits, and the use of grain not only for food but also for distilled alcoholic beverages.

Gabriel Rzączyński's 1721 work allows us to examine these drinks as elements of the shared economic and cultural life of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, including the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

For me, it is essential that this history should not be perceived as something entirely foreign to us.

The Belarusian lands formed part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Therefore, studying the history of beverages in these states also means studying our own historical heritage.

Of course, the cultural heritage of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth is shared by several modern nations. Yet the shared nature of this heritage in no way excludes its Belarusian dimension.

Harelka is just as worthy a subject of historical investigation as our beer and mead.

The history of Belarusian distillation still requires careful examination of old estate inventories, recipes, commercial documents, and medical writings. Nevertheless, Rzączyński's observations provide an important starting point.

And as this three-part series comes to an end, I would like to emphasize its central message:

The history of beverages in Belarus is much older than today's national borders. To understand it, we must explore the historical heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the entire Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.