Ural Berry Kissel
A thick, glossy drink, halfway between juice and light jelly, made from forest berries thickened with starch. Ruby red, fresh and tangy, drunk warm or cold at the end of the meal.
A thick, glossy drink, halfway between juice and light jelly, made from forest berries thickened with starch. Ruby red, fresh and tangy, drunk warm or cold at the end of the meal.
As a child, in the Ural forests, we filled buckets with wild berries until our fingers were purple. My mother would make kissel: you bind the juice with a little starch, and it becomes this thick, shiny drink you almost eat with a spoon. Sweet, tangy, it smells of summer and forest. Later, would you believe, we even took it up there, into the stars — a little taste of the taiga in the middle of the cosmos.
- •Wild berries (lingonberries, blueberries, currants) — two handfuls (base fruit)
- •Water — a large pitcher (infusion)
- •Honey or sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Starch (potato) — a few spoons (thickening binder)
Ural Berry Kissel
A thick, glossy drink, halfway between juice and light jelly, made from forest berries thickened with starch. Ruby red, fresh and tangy, drunk warm or cold at the end of the meal.
Why this dish? The Ural forests and Siberian taiga appear in Leonov's places, rich in wild berries — lingonberries, blueberries, currants. Kissel, a fruit jelly-drink, is a Russian classic... and was also adapted as a space ration. A tangy sweetness between the native forest and orbit.
As a child, in the Ural forests, we filled buckets with wild berries until our fingers were purple. My mother would make kissel: you bind the juice with a little starch, and it becomes this thick, shiny drink you almost eat with a spoon. Sweet, tangy, it smells of summer and forest. Later, would you believe, we even took it up there, into the stars — a little taste of the taiga in the middle of the cosmos.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wild berries (lingonberries, blueberries, currants) — two handfuls (base fruit)
- Water — a large pitcher (infusion)
- Honey or sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Starch (potato) — a few spoons (thickening binder)
Ingredients
- Mixed red berries (fresh or frozen) — 300 g (base)
- Water — 1 liter (infusion)
- Sugar — 80 g (adjust) (sweetness)
- Potato or corn starch — 2 to 3 tbsp (thickener)
- Lemon juice — a splash (boost acidity)
Method
- Bring water, berries, and sugar to a boil; simmer 10 min then strain (or leave some fruit).
- Dissolve starch in a little cold water until smooth.
- Pour starch into hot juice in a thin stream, stirring constantly; let thicken 1-2 min without boiling hard.
- Add lemon juice, taste and adjust sugar.
- Serve warm in glasses, or let cool for a more gelled texture.
How it was made : Kissel is one of the oldest Slavic drinks, originally thickened with fermented grains (hence its name, from a root meaning 'sour'), then with potato starch from the 19th century. Its thick texture, crumb-free and drip-free, made it an ideal candidate for space food.
The contemporary twist : Pour the still-warm kissel over a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a cloud of whipped smetana: the Ural forest meets today's dessert.
Alexei Leonov · Charactorium
