Snaps for beginners
May 11 '01
The Bottom Line You need to know about snaps if you want to experience the full pleasure of enjoying the traditional Danish lunch buffet of open sandwiches ("smørrebrød").
If you have ever the good fortune to participate in a traditional Danish buffet lunch with open sandwiches, you will probably notice how a small glass has been placed at your plate next to the larger beer-glass. It will not be long before your Danish host pulls out a bottle and in an encouraging tone asks if you would like "snaps".
Answering this question in the negative will certainly not constitute any serious cultural insult, but you can be sure to win the respect of Danish friends, if you manage to show your appreciation also of this part of the Danish gastronomical heritage.
I will in the following describe what snaps is, and how it came to claim a place in Danish culture, concluding with brief instructions on the customs of serving and drinking snaps.
What is snaps?
The Danish "snaps" is part of the Scandinavian family of Aquavit-spirits, which have in common that they are all made through a two-stage process of fermentation and distillation based on potato or grain mash in combination with yeast and various enzymes. During or after the distillation stage, flavour is typically added to the snaps through an infusion of spices - most often dill or caraway seeds, but numerous other variations are known.
The current official definition of Aquavit in use by the European Union dictates that the alcohol content should be at least 37.5%, and the typical figure is in the range of 40% - 45%. However, certain brands are for reasons of taste offered at strengths of around 32%, and are thus not allowed to be called "aquavit".
History
The notion of Aqua Vitae was coined in the 13th century by the French alchymist Arnaud de Villeneuve, who in his writings claims to have discovered an elixir of life, which "prolongs life, alleviates bad moods, refreshes the heart and keeps you young." In reality, he had refined a process of wine-distillation, which some claim had been in use in the countries of the Mediterranean several centuries before his "discovery."
In the early part of the 15th century, the aquavit was introduced into Denmark. However, at that time the production process lacked the knowledge of how to distill a fermented mesh of homegrown grain. Instead, Danes had to rely on wine imported from countries of southern Europe. This made the aquavit an expensive drink only for the privileged few among the nobility and the clergy. The local name quickly became "brændevin" (burnt wine) in reference to the means of manufacture.
During the 17th century, adoption of the fermented, grain-based mesh in the production process meant that suddenly, the aquavit became inexpensive and thus available to the common man. Consumption of the spirits spread rapidly throughout society. Soon, assemblies of the estates of the realm had to conduct their serious business on the first day of their gathering, as it was well-known that for the remaining days most participants (the well-to-do farmers) would be seriously drunk and unable to participate in the political process once they had gathered at the dinner tables to meet old friends and consume some aquavit together. Disturbances of religious services also became a not uncommon phenomenon. In the end, an act was passed outlawing the consumption of aquavit on Sundays and other holidays.
It came to the point where a single sip of aquavit or two was an integrated part of the major meals of the grown-up, male farm workers. It is also reported that mothers used to put aquavit in the bottle of their baby children if they wanted them to stay calm and quiet during the night, for example.
In the first part of the 19th century, another major influence was imposed on the aquavit, when new and more efficient manufacturing processes were introduced thanks to the inventions of the industrial revolution. Where previously manufacture of aquavit had been the domain of several thousands of small-scale or even home-based distillers, in a few years manufacture was centralised to a few, large companies, the largest of which was a factory located in the provincial town of Aalborg. This factory formed the basis of what was later to become known as "Danish Distillers", which soon managed through efficient manufacturing processes and competitive acquisitions to establish a monopoly. It was at the same time that the aquavit came to be known as "snaps", which is derived from the German word of "Schnapps" meaning "mouthful".
In general, this was a defining time for what was to become modern Danish national identity: In the arts, Denmark experienced the so-called "Golden Age" featuring prominent thinkers and artists such as Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kierkegaard, Johanne Luise Heiberg, Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg and Bertel Thorvaldsen. In 1849 the country also experienced a peaceful revolution resulting in the establishment of Denmark as a constitutional democracy. Although this is not directly related to the "snaps", it may help the reader to understand that the modern snaps was in fact introduced in a climate of general cultural and national revival, which to a certain extent still characterises the mindset of present-day Danes.
In 1917 as part of a reaction against the negative social consequences brought about by heavy drinking, the government decided to impose heavy taxes on snaps. From one day to the other, prices were doubled and consumption was reduced to one tenth. This, however, did not prevent "Danish Distillers" from blossoming as instead attention was turned to export markets.
In 2000, Danish Distillers were sold by their owners to the Swedish State Monopoly of Wine and Spirits, who also market the well-known brand of Absolut Vodka. Danish Distillers continue to manufacture the most well-known snaps as for example "Rød Aalborg", "Brøndums Snaps", "Aalborg Export Akvavit", "Aalborg Krone Akvavit" and the new "Blå Aalborg" aimed at the young and affluent (recommended for Sushi!).
Customs regarding serving and drinking
Today, snaps is usually reserved for the traditional Danish buffet lunches featuring marinated herring and open sandwiches. Of course, these lunches may be celebrated at anytime dictated by circumstances, but they are most commonly held around Easter ("påskefrokost") and Christmas ("julefrokost").
The glasses used for snaps are typically large enough to hold 2 centilitres. Although shot-glasses have become common, the traditional glasses have a long stem for your hand to hold in order that your body heat may not interfere with the intended temperature of the snaps.
The first snaps is typically poured when everybody has prepared their first open sandwich ("smørrebrød") with marinated herring. Having poured snaps to everyone the host will typically raise his glass and pronounce the word "skål" ("schouwl") thus inviting everyone to join him in his toast.
You are not expected to drink out in your first sip. Some do and others do not. It is simply a matter of personal preference. It is however customary that anyone desiring another sip of the snaps must raise his glass and bring out a toast ("skål") inviting everyone else at the table to join him. It is generally considered polite to go through the motions of participating in these toasts, even though you do not have to actually drink much or anything at all.
Snaps typically supplements beer as the main alcoholic beverage for the traditional Danish lunch. However, it is not customary to use the beer as a chaser, when you have drunk snaps, as it will prevent you from experiencing the joy of that prickly, warm feeling on your tongue and in your throat.
Today, snaps is most often served chilled or even iced. However, this is a fairly recent trend, which was only introduced towards the end of the 18th century. Purists maintain that the subtle flavours of the snaps are only distinguishable at room temperatures. In reality, each snaps should be served at a different temperature, and you are usually safe to go by the guidelines provided by the manufacturer.
This wraps up my editorial on the Danish spirit known as snaps. If your appetite has been whetted, I recommend that you visit the below link to familiarise yourself further with the particular brands on offer.
"Pure as a maiden
and strong as a suitor
hot like the heart
that beats against yours
cool as the spring
that mirrors the sky:
this, my friend
is a Danish aquavit."
- Hans Hartvig Seedorf (own translation)
Links
Danish Distillers
http://www.danishdistillers.dk
Experimenting, Danish Aquavit-amateurs (in Danish)
http://www.snaps.subnet.dk
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Epinions.com ID:
knilaus
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Member: Kristoffer Nilaus Olsen
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 35 members
About Me:
Just out of temporal stasis.
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