Everything about Kvass totally explained
Kvass or
kvas (literally "leaven"; borrowed in the 16th century from
Russian квас (
kvas)), sometimes translated into English as
bread drink, is a
fermented mildly
alcoholic beverage made from black or rye
bread. It is popular in
Russia,
Belarus,
Ukraine and other
Eastern and
Central European countries as well as in all ex-Soviet states, like
Uzbekistan, where one can see many kvass vendors in the streets. Its origins go back 5,000 years to the beginnings of beer production.
The alcohol content is so low (0.05-1.44%) that it's considered acceptable for consumption by children. It is often flavoured with fruits or
herbs such as
strawberries or
mint. Kvass is also used for preparing a summer cold soup,
okroshka.
History
Kvass has been a common drink in
Eastern Europe since ancient times. It was first mentioned in Old Russian Chronicles in the year
989. In Russia under Peter the Great it was the most common non-alcoholic drink in every class of society. Later, in the 19th century, it was reported to be consumed in excess by peasants, low-class citizens and monks: it was, it's sometimes said, usual for them to drink more kvass than water. It has been both a commercial product and homemade. It used to be consumed widely in most Slavic countries, and in almost every city there are kvass vendors on the street.
Manufacturing
Kvass is made by the natural fermentation of bread made from
wheat,
rye, or
barley, and sometimes flavoured with
fruit,
berries,
raisins or
birch sap collected in the early spring.
Modern homemade kvass most often uses black or rye
bread, usually dried, baked into
croutons (called
suhari), or fried, with the addition of
sugar or fruit (for example
apples or raisins), and with a
yeast culture and
zakvasska ("kvass
fermentation starter").
Commercial kvass, especially of the cheapest brands, is sometimes made just like any other
soft drink, using sugar, carbonated water, malt extract and flavourings. Better brands, often being beer brands rather than soft drink ones, usually use a variation of the traditional process to brew it. Kvass is commonly served unfiltered, with the yeast still in it, which adds to its unique flavour as well as its high vitamin B content.
Variant names
Kvass in Latvia
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the street vendors disappeared from the streets of Latvia due to new health laws that banned its sale on the street and economic disruptions forced many kvass factories to close. The Coca-Cola company moved in and quickly dominated the market for soft drinks, but in 1998 the local soft drink industry fought back by selling bottled kvass and launching an aggressive marketing campaign. This surge was further stimulated by the fact that kvass sold for about half the price of Coca-Cola. In just three years, kvass constituted as much as 30% of the soft drink market in Latvia, while the market share of Coca-Cola fell from 65% to 44%. The Coca-Cola company had losses in Latvia of about $1 million in 1999 and 2000. The situation was similar in the other Baltic countries and in Russia. Coca-Cola fought back by buying kvass manufacturers and also started making kvass at their soft drink plants.
(External Link
)(External Link)(External Link)(External Link)
Similar beverages
Other beverages from around the world that are traditionally low-alcohol and lacto-fermented include:
Kombucha
Chicha
Ibwatu
Pulque
Toddy
MaltaFurther Information
Get more info on 'Kvass'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://kvass.totallyexplained.com">Kvass Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
