Sima: Finland’s most adored drink, enjoyed by adults and children alike

Finland, the country popular for ‘sisu’, meaning resilience, sauna, and Sibelius, or what is called the triple ‘s’. But for many years, there has been another popular ‘s’ in ‘sima’, which is a fermented drink made of water, lemon, sugar, yeast and some other ingredients. 

Also read | It’s ‘Pawri’ time? Try these easy DIY Margarita recipes to lift your spirits

Paula Hotti, a BBC staff said that Sima, today is non-alcoholic, or virtually so, an adored drink across Finland, and is most often consumed likewise by children and adults to celebrate the May Day, or ‘Vappu’, which is a time when the Finns crowd the outdoors and welcome the arrival of spring. 

The BBC staff also said that the drink was sweet and acidic. It is traditionally alcoholic and a form of mead or honey wine, which was widely consumed in the early Bronze Age of Europe. Going back to its roots from ancient times, it was simply honey and water. It is said that the Vikings from eighth-century drank consumed a concentrated alcoholic solution made of honey, water and herbs such as meadowsweet and harrow, a drink that was also similar to the traditional sima.

Also read | Texas Governor Greg Abbott signs law to allow takeaway sale of alcoholic drinks

It took hundreds of years for sima to reach the middle and working-class from the elite class in the society in Finland, as sima was initially an expensive beverage that only the upper-class could afford due to the rarity of honey and lemon in the region. “Because of honey, sima was very expensive and only the richest bourgeois and Turku Castle’s court could afford it”, said Kristiina Vuori, a Finnish writer and author of the novel ‘Western Winds’, to BBC.