Lucinda Frye
Diverse and indigenous cuisine brought by the many ethnic people to St. Maarten from all over the world piques our interest. To this end, we are on a quest to find where it comes from, if it is used for celebrations, if it is exotic to some but normal food to others. Anything to do with keeping the body and soul nourished with what is produced from good old terra firma is what makes the world go around.
The medieval alcoholic beverage had a Latin name of aqua vitae "water of life."
Vodka is the world’s most popular spirit. Originally distilled in medieval times to be used as a medicinal agent, today vodka is enjoyed in many forms and flavours; vodka is drunk by the billions of gallons around the world.
When making vodka, a fermentation of any foodstuff that contains sugar or starch takes place. Thereafter, it is distilled to increase its alcohol content. Most vodka is made from fermented grains that include sorghum, corn, rice, rye or wheat. Many years ago, vodka was made from potatoes, and sometimes just sugar.
The fermentation part of the process does not produce a high percent of alcohol; it is too low for spirits. To up the percentage, distillation or heating in a container called a still is required. Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water; therefore, the evaporated alcohol is collected separating it from the water. Most vodka is 30 to 40 percent ABV.
Historic records of vodka from ninth-century Russia and eighth-century Poland show how vodka's popularity spread with Russian soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars. After the Russian Revolution, one vodka maker relocated to Paris where he started a distillery known as Smirnoff; this was his name but with a French spelling.
Vodka – a colourless and odourless drink – has several health benefits:
Vodka is a natural disinfectant and antiseptic. Use it to treat toothache, wipe wounds clean; you can use it to clean the house too – this would be a better bet than some man-made cleaners (the other good cleaner is vinegar).
Vodka, which has been scientifically proven to relieve tension, is even better than red wine.
Vodka can increase blood-flow and circulation in your body – this can prevent clots, strokes, and other heart diseases.
Vodka can help lower your cholesterol.
Vodka is also generally considered a lower-calorie alcohol.
Swishing a shot of vodka – use it as a mouthwash, it helps combat bad breath.
It is said that patients who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and have regular vodka drinks feel less pain and inflammation associated with the disease.
It is a great drink for diabetics as a shot of vodka can actually reduce blood sugar levels – take it straight!
Vodka is traditionally drunk "neat" but is most often served freezer chilled in the "vodka belt" – countries of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe, the historic home lands of vodka.
The word vodka was recorded for the first time in 1405 in Poland. At the time the reference was about medicines and cosmetic products. The word vodka written in Cyrillic, appeared first in 1533 again in relation to a medicinal drink brought from Poland to Russia.
Although the word vodka could be found in early manuscripts, it only began to appear in Russian dictionaries in the mid-19th century.
In English literature, the word vodka appeared in the late 18th century, around 1780. In a translation from German text, the word "kabak” (Russian) referred to a public house for the common people to drink vodka – a vodka pub!! Sounds good!
A contentious issue of the why’s and wherefores as to the origins of vodka lie with historians because very little historical material is available. Though there was clearly a substantial vodka cottage industry in Poland back to the 16th century, the end of the 18th century marked the start of real industrial production of vodka in Poland. Vodkas produced by the nobility and clergy became a mass product. The first rectification distillery was established in 1871 and the production of clear vodkas was made a Polish government monopoly by 1925.
After World War II, all vodka distilleries were taken over by Poland's Marxist–Leninist government. During the martial law of the 1980s, the sale of vodka was rationed.
During the late 1970s, a Russian culinary author compiled a history of the production of vodka in Russia, as part of the Soviet case in a trade dispute; this was later published as A History of Vodka. This was challenged in 1994 as there was lack of valid references in the author’s works.
From the 1960s, unflavoured Swedish “brännvin” also came to be called vodka. The first Swedish product, created in 1958, was intended for the American export market. Absolut Vodka was launched in 1979, reusing the name of the old Absolut Rent Brännvin ("absolutely pure brännvin") created in 1879.
Vodka then became popular among young people, with a flourishing black market and as recently as 2013. The vodka was sold from a vehicle called a "vodka car" – those who ran this illegal business were caught and jailed for two and a half years for having illegally provided thousands of litres to young people, some as young as 13.
In the United States, many vodkas are made from 95% pure grain alcohol produced in large quantities by agricultural-industrial giants. This pure grain alcohol is also known as a rectified spirit, neutral spirit, or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin. It is available directly to consumers in some areas.
While most vodkas are unflavoured, many flavoured vodkas have been produced in traditional vodka-drinking areas, often as homemade recipes to improve vodka's taste or for medicinal purposes.
Flavourings include barberry, blackcurrant, cherry, green apple, lemon, vanilla, watermelon, red pepper, ginger, fruit, vanilla, unsweetened chocolate, honey, black pepper and cinnamon. In Poland and Belarus, the leaves of the local bison grass are added to produce vodka with slightly sweet flavours and light amber colours.
In some countries, black-market vodka is widespread – it is easy to produce BUT severe poisoning, blindness, or death can occur as a result of dangerous industrial ethanol substitutes being added by black-market producers.
Vodka can be used in cooking. Vodka improves flavours when added to some recipes. “Vodka Sauce” is great in pasta; Vodka can be a substitute for water; use it in pie crusts, apparently you get a flakier pastry. Cheesecakes can also have an addition of vodka!!
RECIPES
Vodka infused cherry tomatoes – These are a treat. The tomatoes should be ripe, firm and evenly red in colour
Ingredients
Cherry tomatoes, surplus from the garden or two bags/punnets
2 cups vodka
½ cup coarse sea salt
¼ cup coarsely ground pepper
Method
Poke a few holes in each tomato with a skewer.
Use a glass canning jar or a plastic container that seals well.
Add the pricked tomatoes to the cleaned container/jar.
Pour over the vodka to cover.
Seal and refrigerate for 2 days.
To serve: Pour tomatoes and vodka into a serving dish.
Mix the salt and pepper and serve in a small bowl alongside.
Serve tomatoes with toothpicks and dip a tomato into the salt if liked.
Vodka pie crusts - A classic pie crust is made by cutting solid fat – butter – into flour until the mixture resembles very coarse meal. Add just enough ice-cold water to get the mixture to hold together, form into a ball, rest/chill, roll out. Do not over mix the pie dough. You want it to be mealy, with dime sized clumps of butter, not smooth and even.
Ingredients
2½ cups flour
2 TBL sugar
1 tsp salt
10 oz unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pats and chilled well
¼ cup ice cold vodka
2-4 TBL ice cold water
Method
Combine two-thirds flour with sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse twice to incorporate.
Spread butter chunks evenly over surface.
Pulse (+- 25 pulses) until dough just begins to collect in clumps.
Add vodka and water while pulsing TBL at a time.
Spread dough evenly around bowl and sprinkle remaining flour and pulse +- 5 short pulses.
Take a handful of dough and squeeze; if it holds together, it is good. If dry and crumbly, add a little more liquid.
Be careful to add only as much water as it takes to combine the dough into a ball or disk.
Transfer dough to a large bowl.
Divide ball in half.
Form each half into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic chill at least two hours before rolling and baking.
Vodka Buttercream Icing – NOT for children’s party cupcakes!
Ingredients
4 oz butter, room temperature
4 cups icing sugar
¼ cup good quality vodka
½ tsp vanilla extract
A tsp milk, if necessary, to make a pipe-able icing
Method
Beat all the ingredients until smooth; keep chilled until ready to use.
Make vanilla cupcakes and cool.
Sprinkle a dash of Kahlua over each cupcake.
Pipe the icing on the cupcakes.
