Russia is famous for its delectable cuisine and ample quantities of vodka. The widespread practice of downing vodka shots straight is a direct impact of Russian tradition. The nation’s extreme respect for vodka is even mirrored in its origin; the term literally translates to “little water”. Vodka is the main component in the widely loved White Russian cocktail, and drinking vodka solo comes with a distinct custom: a chaser not meant for swallowing but for sniffing. In Russia, it’s the norm to sniff a loaf of bread after downing a shot of vodka. Seems odd? Give it a shot before passing judgment.

Sniffing bread is essentially a scientific experiment, delving into the innatural relationship between smell and taste within our olfactory system. The aroma of the bread supposedly eases the swallowing of vodka, but the practice is also emblematic. Chasing potent alcohol with a fervent declaration crowned with a whiff of glutinous delight, the gastronome signals the purity of their intentions. The subtext is “I’m not merely gulping vodka for the buzz,” but “I’m here for the quality food and superior companionship.”

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The connection between Russia and vodka may trace back to Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev, believed to have standardized vodka at 40% ABV. In Russia, January 31 is marked as Vodka Day in honor of Mendeleev’s defense of his dissertation titled “On Combining Water and Alcohol” in 1865, four years prior to the publication of the Periodic Table of Elements.

Social drinking in Russia is characterized by togetherness and abundance. Even the Russia-themed episode of Anthony Bourdain’s first show “A Cook’s Tour” is playfully subtitled “So Much Vodka, So Little Time,” and part of this renowned national limit may be credited to consistent snacking while savoring “so much” vodka. In Russia, drinking isn’t something to be done in solitude, or without an extensive variety of Russian snacks (zakuski) such as pickles, black rye bread, salted herring, and caviar. As per tradition, if you don’t have adequate funds to provide snacks like these, then you sniff the bread by tearing off a piece. Even after stomachs are filled with food, the shots and the sniffing continue.

The reality that drinking straight vodka takes place regardless of the presence of such a spread is a homage to the liquor’s solidified position as a regular element in Russian life. Even if food is scarce, bread can always be sniffed as a gesture of propriety, and no shot in Russia is complete without a complex toast (another acknowledgement to the central point of togetherness).

Read the original article on Tasting Table.