Kvas: Traditional Summer Drink

Locals in Kiev will tell you that there really is only one drink, which will quench your thirst on a hot summer day; Kvas, which appears to be as old as Slavic civilization itself.

Kvas is believed to have been invented around a thousand years ago and was first mentioned in the chronicles of Kievan Rus. On certain occasions Prince Volodymyr, the ruler who converted Kyevan Rus to Christianity, would distribute food, honey and kvas to his subjects. Over the following centuries kvas became as much a part of the daily meal as bread. All over the Russian Empire, from monasteries and soldiers barracks, from noble mansions to peasant huts, everybody was busy making kvas. Peasants valued the drink as they believed that it restored energy. Perhaps more importantly kvas was seen as the ideal hangover cure and to this day worse for wear men can still be seen queuing for kvas, the morning after the night before.

Kvas is made from water and bread to which juice, cranberries, cloudberries, different fruit and honey can all be added. When scientists turned their microscopes on the drink they found that kvas improves the metabolic processes in a way similar to yogurt. Kvas also contains lastic acid, vitamins B, B2, PP, amino acids and different microelements and this maybe the reason why it is such a good hangover cure. Besides, kvas improves the appetite and boasts high food value. On the basis of this scientific evidence kvas was given to scientists who needed to bulk up. In 1913, the scientist Sotnikov even went so far as to prove that kvas can in fact kill potentially life threatening typhus microbes.

Today, Kvas can be ordered in many Kiev reataurants, bought at kiosks or made at home. All you need to make classical kvas is water and some pieces o rye bread crust. Put several crusts into around five litres of water, than add a little yeast and sugar. Some recipes also recommend that you add some raisins, but this is optional. Birch kvas is also very popular and traditionally made in the middle of April. Make a small cut in the trunk of a birch tree then place a tube inside. The juice will then be collected in a bowl on the ground. There you have it, one of Ukraine’s most popular and ancient drinks, which is both easy to make at home, but if you’re new to the kvas game best enjoy in one of Kiev’s restaurants or from kiosk.