Vorschmack is an originally East European salty meat dish prepared mainly out of minced meat

Minced meat

Minced meat may refer to:* Ground meat, meat that has been minced or groundMinced meat may be confused with:* Mincemeat, a mixture of dried fruit and spices, commonly does not contain any meat...

, anchovies or herring

Herring

Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...

 and onion

Onion

The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...

s. The dish is usually garnished with pickles

Pickled cucumber

A pickled cucumber is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period of time, by either immersing the cucumbers in an acidic solution or through souring by lacto-fermentation.-Gherkin:A gherkin is not only...

 and sour cream. Snaps

Snaps

Snaps is a Danish and Swedish word for a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal. A ritual that is associated with drinking snaps is a tradition in Scandinavia, especially in Denmark and Sweden, where it is very common to drink snaps at holidays such as...

 is usually served in combination with eating Vorschmack.

There are several stories regarding the origin of the dish, but it has become a traditional Finnish dish as it was one of the favourite appetizers of the Finnish statesman, war hero and gourmand Marshall C.G.E. Mannerheim. Some sources say Mannerheim brought the dish to Finland from Poland, but there have not been any definite sources for this claim. A hot pot dish named "forszmak" (the same pronunciation) is however known in East Poland (Lublin region), usually made of chicken and cucumbers.

The restaurant Savoy at the top floor of one of the buildings around the Esplanadi

Esplanadi

In the heart of Helsinki, the capital of Finland, the two streets constituting Esplanadi are officially named Pohjoisesplanadi and Eteläesplanadi...

 in central Helsinki is famous for its Vorschmack. The restaurant used to be frequented by Mannerheim and Mannerheim’s table at the Savoy was always reserved, and out of respect no one would ever consider demanding to be seated there. Savoy still today keeps a similar style decor and menu as in the days of Mannerheim.

In Jewish cuisine

Jewish cuisine

Jewish Cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Jewish people worldwide. It is a diverse cuisine that has evolved over many centuries, shaped by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish Festival and Sabbath traditions...

, vorschmack is made of chopped herring, without meat, sometimes adding chopped hard-boiled egg and grated fresh apple. It is served as a cold appetizer.