Vodka, vodca or wódka in Polish, is a type of spirit obtained from the distillation of cereals or potatoes. It originated in Poland and Russia and later spread to Sweden. The origins of smooth vodka are still much debated and tormented, but the first written evidence referring to the distillate dates back to 1405, when in a register of Sandomierz, the seat of the Polish government, were found references to a recipe on a water with an alcohol content of more than 50%.