Black bread kvass
Russia's national drink, an amber-brown, fizzy, sweet-sour beverage made by fermenting toasted rye bread with a little sugar. Refreshing, very low in alcohol, it was ladled from yellow street tanks in Soviet summers.
Russia's national drink, an amber-brown, fizzy, sweet-sour beverage made by fermenting toasted rye bread with a little sugar. Refreshing, very low in alcohol, it was ladled from yellow street tanks in Soviet summers.
They criticize me for my campaign against the bottle, but understand, comrade: a people does not rise with its head in the fumes of vodka. And we had something better! Kvass, that drink of our grandmothers, made from a simple crust of black bread left to sour in the warmth with a pinch of sugar. In Moscow as in Stavropol, in summer, we'd queue in front of the big yellow tanks to fill a jar — fizzy, cool, honest. That's what a worker should drink, not the alcohol that eats away at him.
- •Stale rye bread (black bread) — several slices (fermentable base)
- •Water — a large amount (medium)
- •Sugar or honey — a little (feeds fermentation, sweetness)
- •Yeast or old kvass — a ladleful (ferment)
- •Raisins — a handful (fizziness)
Black bread kvass
Russia's national drink, an amber-brown, fizzy, sweet-sour beverage made by fermenting toasted rye bread with a little sugar. Refreshing, very low in alcohol, it was ladled from yellow street tanks in Soviet summers.
Why this dish? Gorbachev was known for his sobriety and launched a major anti-alcohol campaign in 1985. Kvass, a barely alcoholic fermented drink made from bread, was precisely the popular, refreshing alternative that the Soviet state promoted against vodka.
They criticize me for my campaign against the bottle, but understand, comrade: a people does not rise with its head in the fumes of vodka. And we had something better! Kvass, that drink of our grandmothers, made from a simple crust of black bread left to sour in the warmth with a pinch of sugar. In Moscow as in Stavropol, in summer, we'd queue in front of the big yellow tanks to fill a jar — fizzy, cool, honest. That's what a worker should drink, not the alcohol that eats away at him.
Ingredients (period version)
- Stale rye bread (black bread) — several slices (fermentable base)
- Water — a large amount (medium)
- Sugar or honey — a little (feeds fermentation, sweetness)
- Yeast or old kvass — a ladleful (ferment)
- Raisins — a handful (fizziness)
Ingredients
- Whole rye bread — 300 g (fermentable base)
- Boiled, cooled water — 2.5 L (medium)
- Sugar — 5 tbsp (feeds fermentation, sweetness)
- Active dry yeast — 1/2 tsp (ferment)
- Raisins — about 10 (activates fizziness)
Method
- Cut bread into slices and dry/toast in the oven until dark brown (without burning): this gives color and roasted flavor.
- Place toasted bread in a large jar, cover with boiling water, steep 6-8 hours, then strain.
- Add sugar and yeast dissolved in a little warm liquid; add raisins.
- Cover with a cloth and let ferment 1-2 days at room temperature, until foamy and slightly sharp.
- Strain, bottle with a few raisins, keep 1 day in the fridge for bubbles. Serve very cold.
How it was made : Kvass has been attested since the Slavic Middle Ages as a people's drink: nearly alcohol-free, it was given even to children. In Soviet times, it was distributed in summer from mobile yellow barrel-tanks and also used as a base for cold soup *okroshka*.
The contemporary twist : Serve over ice in a frosted glass with a mint leaf and a dash of cherry juice — *okroshka* can then be offered as a wink accompaniment.
Gorbachev · Charactorium
