Everyone knows that the most famous Russian national spirit is vodka. How did it appear and, by the way, what is it?

Until the XV century, Russians used to drink mead, beer, syto, berezovitsa, wine and kvass. Alcohol concentration in these spirits didn’t exceed 4.5-15°. A much stronger drink – vodka – appeared in Russia only in the XIV century. At that time people used it for drawing medicinal herbs only. Distilleries specializing in the production of this stiff drink appeared in Russia in the middle of the XV century – thus letting it penetrate the everyday life of the Russian people. “Green wine”, “whitey”, “monopolka”, “popovka”, “wheat wine”, “boiled wine”, “perevar”, “korchma”, “heady wine” – vodka had had a lot of names until the beginning of the 20th century. The word “Vodka” itself represents the diminutive form of Old Slavic “voda” which stands for “water”. Russians evidently treated this drink with much affection at that time already – enough to start calling it with a pet name. Sometimes the word “vodka” is substituted by the name of the measure it’s poured into. For instance, 100ml. – “stopka”, 250ml. – “chekushka” or “raiska”.

Always drink vodka in a good company, with a lot of good food. However, drinking straight out of the bottle and sniffing your sleeve afterwards is an ancient Russian tradition too. People drink vodka at weddings and christening parties, house-warming and funeral ceremonies, or to drink to someone’s health and simply chug “for the meeting”. Enforcing happiness and sorrow, alcohol gives rise to euphoria. However, if vodka becomes the means of escape from everyday problems, the abuse quickly leads to alcoholism. There’s only one possible conclusion – don’t exceed the reasonable limits. 50 grams of vodka helps to warm you up, makes you forget about the daily stresses, increases appetite, and lowers the pain barrier.

Alright, let’s forget about the bad side. Imagine yourself sitting at a Russian table. The middle of it is occupied by the Queen – a vodka bottle. All around vodka are the “snacks”. This word has lost its initial meaning – now it stands for “the food eaten with vodka”. Vodka’s character, taste, and smell match Russian national cuisine perfectly. Vodka helps the drinker feel the tiniest hints of the taste of Russian dishes, and lets the body digest even the heaviest, indigestible food. A correctly chosen “snack”, for its turn, reduces the intoxication letting the drinker enjoy the company and the food longer. Vodka goes well if served with rich meat courses or farinaceous dishes (pelmeni, pancakes). It’s a perfect match for corned and smoked fish: black caviar, cold-smoked sturgeon balyk, herring with sunflower oil and onion, salmon, zander… It also goes with cheaper food: pickles (tomatoes, mushrooms, watermelon bits), sauerkraut, boiled potatoes with butter… However, the true “snack king” is the pickled cucumber: green, covered with tiny pimples, with a pleasant sour-salty taste.

There are products which are not advised to be used as “snacks” though. These are: cheese, boiled fish, mutton, and ham.

Nevertheless, a Russian feast can end up pretty badly for a person with poor drinking skills. People who exceed the limits often suffer from a terrible hangover. What can be done about it? Russian people fight hangovers with the help of pickle brine. Almost everything helps here – life-giving moisture out of a can with pickled tomatoes, sauerkraut, or vegetable salad. Meds such as aspirin or the ones containing acetaminophen are not advised – your stomach and liver have suffered enough already. And another Russian national remedy – “opohmel” (drinking another shot or a glass of beer) – is strictly forbidden. Opohmel delays the recovery, plus, it can easily drag you into hard drinking…

Conclusion: don’t drink with Russians. However, since it’s impossible to escape drinking with them, you should always remember about the limits and “snacks”.