Homemade kvass

What it is

Kvass is a slightly sour, mildly sparkling drink obtained through fermentation: from bread or grain, from juice, or from fruits. It contains very little alcohol, so it was consumed as a daily refreshing drink.

In the Hutsul region of Bukovina, ethnobotanists recorded kvass made from fermented grain; birch sap is added, and the flavor comes from berries — rowan, lingonberry, and black chokeberry. Researchers from the Carpathian National Park 'Hutsulshchyna' also mention kvass with lingonberries among the homemade drinks of Verkhovyna and Kosiv.

A special Hutsul kvass is apple-based. ZN.UA described how Hutsuls in summer place equal amounts of sweet and sour apples in a wooden barrel, cover them with water, add whole peppercorns and rowan — and the kvass is ready for winter.

History and name

Kvass is known throughout Eastern Europe; in the Carpathians, it was not a ceremonial drink, but rather a daily one — like uzvar or whey. Black chokeberry (aronia) is a late garden plant, so kvass with it is a more modern variant; apple kvass with rowan in a barrel is an older Hutsul method.

Ingredients and allergens

Variant: bread (grain) kvass

Rye sourdough bread—A piece of black bread initiates the fermentation of oat sourdough for kiselytsia.Contains allergens: gluten

Birch sapinstead of part of the water, optionalSpring birch sap is clear and slightly sweet; Hutsuls drink it fresh and add it to homemade kvass.

Lingonberriesa handful, optionalSour red berries from the polonynas and coniferous forests; in the Carpathians, they are used to make jam, juice, and kvass.

Also: water (—), sugar (—, optional)

Contains allergens: gluten
Diet: lenten · vegan

Variant: hutsul apple kvass, with rowan

apples, water, rowan berries, black pepper

Contains allergens: none of the 14 major allergens in the traditional recipe
Diet: lenten · vegan · gluten-free · no cooking

Ingredients of the traditional recipe; every cook and every place may do it differently — please ask when ordering. We cannot guarantee the absence of allergens or traces.

How it is made

Bread kvass is placed in a warm place: bread or grain is covered with water, and after a day or two, fermentation begins; berries or birch sap change the taste. Hutsul apple kvass is made more slowly — apples with rowan sit in a barrel with water until winter.

Where it is eaten

The area is approximate and based on the sources below. The dish is cooked outside it too, and ethnographic borders are blurred.

Hutsulshchyna (Verkhovyna, Kosiv) and Bukovinian Hutsulshchyna — this is where kvass was recorded by researchers; bread kvass is consumed throughout Ukraine.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Everyday food

In tradition

Kvass is a daily drink, not a festive one. Hutsuls made apple kvass in summer to have a sour drink in winter.

Safety

Kvass is a fermented product: it contains a bit of alcohol, so children and drivers should be cautious. Bread kvass contains gluten. If mold appears or there is an unpleasant smell — do not consume.

FAQ