Medronho

The Aguardente de Medronho is a traditional fruit brandy from Portugal, which is obtained from the fruit of Medronho tree, a shrub -like plant from the family of the arbutus. Medronho trees grow wild on the partially barren soil of rural regions as Alentejo or the inner Algarve.

Commercial cultivation ( plantations) of Medronho does not exist and the fruits are collected from farmers in the region in laborious hand work and private processes. Therefore, there is good Aguardente de Medronho also hard to buy in supermarkets, but only a few of those same farmers directly. Very few farmers have a license for distillation, but are tolerated in order to keep these Portuguese specialty alive.

Aguardente de Medronho is mainly for simple people, so farmers and fishermen, very popular and is often already drunk for breakfast, to awaken the spirits. In the Algarve the Aguardente de Medronho also Mata Bicho ( worm killer ) and mosquito ( mosquito ) is called, because he " stands " like a mosquito.