Sima (drink)

Ready-to-drink Sima

Sima is originally mead , an alcoholic drink made from honey and water. Nowadays, however, the drink is usually no longer made from honey and with little fermentation , so that it is only a slightly alcoholic soft drink. It is made from water, brown and / or white sugar, yeast , lemons and raisins . Sima is the traditional drink for Finnish Vappu (May Day), a celebration of spring, students and workers. In addition to Vappu , Sima is also often served as a summer and party drink.

Word origin

The Finnish word Sima is a synonym for Mesi (German Met ) and probably has a Germanic origin. The words Sima and Mesi were used as synonyms for honey or nectar in ancient Finnish folk tales (Häkkinen 2011). Sima as the name of a drink came into common use and spread after Elias Lönnrot published the word Sima in a dictionary (1847).

history

Today's sweet Sima drink has been around in Finland since the 18th century, first in mansions. Sugar and honey were expensive at the time, so only the wealthy could enjoy Sima. It wasn't until late, after sugar and honey were no longer luxury goods, that Sima became an affordable and popular drink in Finland.

Manufacture and variants

A general production quantity of traditional Simas is around 10 liters. It usually takes about a week to complete. First you put the two types of sugar in a large saucepan or bucket. Then you boil some of the water and pour it on the sugar. Then the peel and meat of the lemons are added. The white layer between the yellow skin and pulp is usually left out because it tastes bitter. The rest of the water is added cold to the mixture. Finally, add the yeast to the lukewarm water and let the drink ferment at room temperature for one to two days. Then you skim off the lemon pieces and fill the drink with a teaspoon of sugar and a few raisins in bottles. The drink is then stored in the refrigerator for one to two weeks. The drink is ready when the raisins rise to the surface. Sima should be served cold.

There are also different varieties of sima, such as rhubarb , berry, ginger , and dandelion blossom sima . Louhisaaren juoma is a sima drink made from the leaves of the black currant .

Alcohol content

Compared to German mead , Sima has a very low alcohol content of around one percent by volume (1 percent by volume). The alcohol content of industrially produced Sima beverages is generally between 0.5 and 0.8% by volume. There are also industrial, alcohol-free Sima. If Sima is made traditionally, with a small amount of yeast and a fermentation period of one day, Sima is safe for children. A longer fermentation time and larger yeast addition increases the alcohol content. According to Finnish law, minors are not allowed to sell drinks if the alcohol content is more than 1.2% vol. Even so, most of the large retail chains in Finland follow a strict policy and only sell underage drinks that contain no alcohol at all.

literature

• Hakkinen, Kaisa. 2011 .: Nykysuomen etymologinen sanakirja. 5. painos. Helsinki, WSOY.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ History (Finnish) ( Memento of the original from April 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ History (Finnish) ( Memento of the original from April 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ recipe (Finnish)
4. ↑ recipe (Finnish)
5. ↑ recipe (Finnish)
6. ↑ [ http://reseptivihko.net/sima
7. ↑ http://www.dfg-westfalen-lippe.de/index.php?id=ru-fi_lebensart_rezepte recipe]
8. ↑ http://www.dansukker.fi/fi/resepteja/raparperisima.aspx
9. ↑ http://www.ruokala.net/resepti/raparperisima-ja-raparperimehu
10. ↑ http://www.dansukker.fi/fi/resepteja/marjasima.aspx
11. ↑ http://kotiliesi.fi/ruoka/reseptit/marjasima
12. ↑ http://www.yrttitarha.fi/tietopankki/kansanperinne/index.html
13. ↑ http://www.yrttitarha.fi/tietopankki/kansanperinne/index.html
14. ↑ http://www.kokkikolmonen.com/tuotteet.html?id=1/325
15. ↑ http://www.kochbar.de/rezept/402880/Louhisaari-Black-currant-leaves-drink-Schwarze-Johannisbeeren-Blaetter-Getraenk.html
16. ↑ http://www.aamulehti.fi/Ruoka/1194739049047/artikkeli/pane+vappusima+alulle+pikapuoliin.html
17. ↑ http://www.vip-juicemaker.fi/index.php?id=45
18. ↑ http://www.eckes-granini.fi/tuotehaku/tuotehaku.php
19. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated May 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
20. ↑ http://www.eckes-granini.fi/tuotehaku/tuotehaku.php
21. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated May 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
22. ↑ http://www.uusisuomi.fi/kotimaa/122133-saako-simaa-antaa-lapselle
23. ↑ http://www.mtv3.fi/uutiset/kotimaa.shtml/yllattavia-tulkintaeroja-saako-lapselle-antaa-simaa-vai-ei/2012/04/1536064
24. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated May 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.