Search Details

Word: chudov (lookup in dictionary) (lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first (reverse)


Usage:

Vodka's origins are murky, but the favored legend traces its arrival in the country to Genoese merchants who traveled to Moscow in the 14th century and met with Prince Dmitry Ivanovich. Monks in the Kremlin's Chudov Monastery began distilling the first Russian spirits some time in the 15th century. Ivan the Terrible served vodka to his oprichniki - the special police force that carried out his violent and, well, terrible orders. To facilitate their drunken revelry, Ivan opened kabaks, or taverns, that served vodka and other alcohol (no food). By 1648, with Russians developing a strong taste for drink...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: Russians and Vodka | 1/5/2010 | See Source »

| 1 |