more about brazilian culture
List of regional names for cachaça
The name cachaça is now a trademark owned by the Brazilian producers and used for export purposes. However, before the standardisation of cachaça, each Brazilian region had its distinctive name for the same beverage. All around Brazil you can hear people call cachaça with the most different names, such as:
* Pinga, from the verb pingar ("to drop");
* Cana (cane, sugar cane) and its diminutive, caninha;
* Aguardente, "burning (or flaming) water", used to be its formal name and is still used for industrialised cachaças;
* Mé, mispoken mel ("honey"), because it sweetens life;
* Marvada ("malvada" with the Minas Gerais state accent, "the evil" or "the meanie", feminine form);
* Água-que-passarinho-não-bebe ("water that birds won't drink");
* Cangibrina;
* Aquela-que-matou-o-guarda ("the one that killed the cop")
* Manguaça;
* Mardita ("maldita" with the Minas Gerais' accent, "the damned", feminine form);
It must be noted that Tiquira, although often used as a synonym for cachaça, is actually another drink, made of manioc starch, that was found over the Brazilian North and North-East in colonial times. The Aurélio dictionary lists dozens of popular names for this beverage.