Trian is a herbal liqueur that he designed and made Balint Juhas from Batina, and contains 34 wild plants that grow in the Baranja climate. The preparation of this herbal liqueur took almost a year, and Balint walked more than a hundred kilometers to collect all the herbs that were combined in the liqueur. Since the southern part of Baranja is also called the "Drava Triangle", this product was named Trian, and the local brandy from Baranja was used as the base.
Balint Juhas
Trian was made in small quantities for personal use and will not be mass produced, but what is particularly interesting about this story is that it will Balint will soon start a blog on which the production process of this liqueur will be explained in detail, and on which photos of all plants in bloom and picking that can be part of this liqueur will be published, and he will be in charge of that part of the work photographer Nenad Milić.
Balint reveals to us that he came up with this idea in Slovenia, but also that this herbal liqueur is specific and not ordinary copy paste story because uses native, wild plants from Baranja:
- It's a great initiative that I really liked, not primarily because of the alcoholic drink, but because of education and the protection of nature and the environment. I was impressed by how Slovenians value their own products and their own nature, which is supported by the fact that they were recognized as the cleanest and most ecologically sustainable country in the world. There is a basic recipe from Slovenia, but it would only be a base. The basis of the drink should be a quality domestic product, i.e. real domestic brandy, that is the base of the drink. The plants that go inside are harvested practically throughout the year, according to flowering and fruit ripening. According to the recipe, 30-40 plants go into the drink, and how many plants one finds depends on individual effort, says Juhas and emphasizes that the most interesting part of the story is the collection of plants.
- The point is that you have to find and collect all the plants yourself, it's not fun to buy in a store. With this, on the one hand, people will move more in nature, which has health benefits, and on the other hand, participants get to know their environment, that is, medicinal wild plants and their effects, taking into account, of course, sustainable collection and aspects of environmental protection.
Therefore the benefit is threefold; and being active in nature and getting to know plants and ultimately a unique product that will always differ according to the number of plants collected, so Balint reveals to us that, for example, he did not find the chamomile that usually grows in Baranja last year, but there are many other plants there.
- It's really fascinating, everywhere you turn there are some wild plants. People don't even know about most of them, that is, if they saw them, they wouldn't be able to name them, and some others that are well-known are totally underestimated and people have a completely wrong perception of them. Take nettle for example; Young nettles can be used to make stew and add to salads, and tea can also be made from it. It is available everywhere, and people mostly don't use it, they just avoid it. It is very good for cleaning the body, it contains vitamins A, B and C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium and all essential amino acids. I would single out, for example, mint. The mint that is bought is not indigenous to this area, but there is also a type of mint that grows wild in this area, called horse mint or long-leaf mint, explains Juhas and points out that everyone is invited to make their own, personalized Baranja liqueur.
- I am planning to create a blog that presents medicinal plants according to their medicinal properties, flowering and picking step by step, and for each plant I will write an instructional/advisory text in Croatian and Hungarian. Anyone who wants to can join and make an excellent domestic organic product and of course promote a healthy life and stay in nature, and this is also a global awareness raising about the importance of protecting nature and the environment.
Balint reveals that a minimum of five liters of domestic brandy is needed for the base itself, and it is recommended to have something with a more neutral taste, such as apple brandy, and then add the amount of each type of wild herb that fits in one hand. In addition to wild plants, Trian was also planted with three fruits, green walnut, and black and white mulberry. The specificity of Trian is that it also contains Baranja pepper.
- I thought that you shouldn't make Baranja herbal jeger without paprika, so I added one hot and one mild pepperoni, which ultimately gives the liqueur itself a spicy note. emphasizes Balint.
Another important thing in this whole story is that all the herbs that are put in Baranja liqueur are compatible with each other, the use of one does not exclude the use of another, but together they give a synergistic effect and in the end they are all in mutual harmony.
A blog where all the instructions related to the individual production of Baranja liqueur will be available will be launched soon, and you will be able to follow it on the website dorproject.hr, and the Facebook page facebook.com/dorproject.hr.
About the authors of this project
Balint Juhas
– When someone asks me what I actually do, I can't answer that question right away. Perhaps the closest explanation would be that I deal with creativity. I think this is my true calling. I am an enthusiast and have been engaged in spiritual development for many years. I really like to participate in programs that encourage community and development. My goal is to help people, and since I've been a trainer and coach, I've also been given the tools to do that effectively.
- I have twenty years of experience in the business sector and have owned my own company for over ten years. Since 2012, I have been the project manager of the "Union of Croatian Hungarian Entrepreneurs", in ten years we have successfully implemented four large cross-border projects, thus realizing many events, educations, publications and other socially useful actions. I am the author of a booklet published in 2018 called "The Book of Future Wizards", which deals with environmental protection and contains educational games for children. In 2021, my first novel for young people was published, entitled "Vrata", which I am very proud of. The book was written in Hungarian and was also translated into Croatian.
Nenad Milic
Nenad Milic
Even as a child, he spent most of his time outside the house, walking in the woods, binoculars in hand, observing birds and the amazing world of nature. Although his life, in all kinds of circumstances, pushed his asphalt steps, education and various jobs, he always had that spirit of exploration and the call of nature. Ten years ago, he replaced his binoculars with a camera, and small groves with forests, meadows, hills, seas, concerts and a whole range of social events.
Photo source: Mario Jukić
