Vodka & Food

A cold spread in southern Finland rarely comes as a series of individual courses. Instead, everything usually travels together across the table, with the small glass of vodka standing right alongside.

Ice-cold Kossu pairs best with whatever comes from the sea or the lake: pickled or fried Silakka, the small Baltic herring. It's one of the country's most iconic fish dishes. Silakka appears in many forms on the table, marinated in vinegar and onions, in mustard sauce, or simply pan-fried, always accompanied by a touch of fresh dill.

Dark, dense rye bread, ruisleipä, belongs on the table in nearly every Finnish household. Silakka is typically served on thinly sliced rye bread with raw onion and a dollop of sour cream, a simple, hearty counterpart to the clean, cool vodka.

Smoked fish from Finland's lakes and the Baltic Sea is also a classic accompaniment to such a cold spread, served alongside boiled potatoes and fresh dill. Smoking over alder wood is one of the oldest methods of preserving fish through the winter. That flavor remains part of Finnish cuisine to this day.

Salmiakki Koskenkorva doesn't pair well with any of these dishes, its salty, licorice-forward aroma is simply too dominant. It's more often drunk on its own rather than served alongside food, usually in small amounts toward the end of a convivial evening. Anyone encountering this spread for the first time quickly understands: it's all about simple, salty, and smoky flavors that complement the clear, cold vodka from Ilmajoki, without overpowering or crowding it out with strong spices.