Postcard from Bishkek

Summer has come … and gone, but it’s the nature of life in the twentieth century that we live in a global village where the seasons are not marked in the same way as it used to be: Strawberries at Christmas and Maksym all year round.

Another refreshing summer drink is Kvass – a fermented drink from Eastern Europe made from rye bread which is popular throughout Eastern and Central Europe, the countries of the former Soviet Union and places where there is a strong Russian emigre community, (in the United States it is sometimes referred to as “Nikola” – which sounds like “Not Cola” in Russian).  In Russia it counts as a non-alcoholic beverage but it is does have a low alcoholic content, typically less than 1% – although it can be as much 2.5%.  The alcohol comes from the fermentation of the yeast in the bread, which gives the drink its name – taken from a word in the Old Slavic language.

Fermented beverages made from grain have a long history.  The ancient Egyptians, for example, brewed beer from barley and there were similar beverages brewed in Africa, Asia and even among the native Indians on the American continent.  The first mention of Kvass in Russia is in the Chronicles dating from 989.  We know that it was a popular drink in the time of Peter the Great and in the 19th Century it was reportedly drunk to excess by the peasants, and even the clergy.  It was a sufficiently feature of daily life that it is mentioned in the writings of Chekov, Dostoyeksky, Tolstoy … among others.

Despite its popularity over the years, and to be frank, Kvass is an acquired taste; briny and earthy.  Perhaps the reason why it proved to be popular was that it was a refreshing drink, perhaps it was because of the alcoholic content, or maybe it was the healthy qualities that were attributed to it, (being rich in vitamin B), or the fact that it lends itself to both commercial and domestic production providing a use for “left over” or stale bread.

 

Kvass used to be sold from special tanks on the streets.  These days in Bishkek, sellers on street corners usually have a barrel, along with other beverages to choose from, (such as Iced tea, or a version of Maksym).  It’s also possible to buy bottles of Kvass from supermarkets all year round, and it is often made domestically.

Kvas is made from the natural fermentation of bread, the colour of which colours the resulting liquid, and is sometimes flavoured with fruit such as strawberries and raisins or with herds such as mint.  The fermentation takes 2-3 days.

Here is a simple recipe:

Ingredients:

• Water: about 50 liters
• Black rye bread : about 2.5 kilograms
• Yeast: about 12 grams
• Sugar: about 100 grams
• Flavouring, such as mint: about 10 grams
• Raisins

Method:

• Slice the bread and dry it in the oven, (some people fry it), being careful not to burn it.
• Put the rusks into a saucepan and cover with boiling water.  Cover and leave for 2-3 hours.
• Strain the liquid and add the yeast, sugar and flavouring.
• When a foam forms, filter it again and bottle it … put some raisins in each bottle and cork it.
• Leave in a cool place to ferment for 2-3 days
• Serve cooled.

 

 

Tags: Food and Drink, For_the_Record