The earliest written mentions of kvass date back to the period of the baptism of Rus by Prince Vladimir in 988 AD. The chronicle states that the prince ordered to "distribute food, honey, and kvass to the people." By the 11th century, this drink was brewed everywhere...

The word "kvass" is of Old Russian origin and means "sour drink." Nowhere except in Rus did it gain such popularity and widespread use.

Real kvass retains the beneficial microelements and vitamins found in malt. Thanks to this property, it helped the common people survive hungry winters.

The most ancient type of kvass was made solely from various grains, and only later did they begin to add fruits, honey, and spices to it. However, its main component remained malt - sprouted grain. The technology of making kvass from breadcrumbs appeared in later times - it allows simplifying the technological process.

The hearty and invigorating drink was loved by everyone without exception, regardless of rank and status. They were treated with it in royal chambers and behind monastery walls, in peasant huts and in soldiers' barracks, at fairs and in high society salons. It is known that kvass was invariably included in the rations of prisoners. Each resident consumed 250 liters of kvass annually.

The traditional recipe for making kvass is quite labor-intensive: soak and sprout the grain, steep, grind, prepare the wort. It took more than two months to see the results, but it was worth it!

By the beginning of the 15th century, there were over 500 varieties of the national drink: sweet and sour, mint and with raisins, thick and kvass-ishi, fragrant and daily, white and okroshka, with horseradish (Ural) and boyar, aromatic and wheat, with pepper and pear. By the way, at the end of the 19th century, kvass made from boiled pears was the leader among soft drinks among the residents of the capital.

The profession of a kvass maker was one of the most common in Rus. However, each of them specialized in the production of only one type of this drink. They were called "apple kvass makers," "barley," "pear," etc. They worked in strictly designated areas of the city, and they were not allowed to go beyond them to avoid unnecessary competition.

It was easy to spot a kvass maker on the streets of St. Petersburg: they carried a glass container of kvass with them, and their heads were covered with a headgear resembling a cylinder. The confidence that kvass possessed miraculous properties allowed not to worry too much about hygiene: everyone who wanted to taste the kvass drank from the same glass.

Each housewife also had her own recipe for kvass, so you could often hear such names for it as "Darya's kvass," "Malanya's kvass," and the like.

In Rus, the time of making kvass was a real holiday for children. After all, the sweetish steamed grain used in making the bread drink replaced candy for the little ones.

Kvass figured in many folk rituals and was associated with various omens. For example, after the wedding, the groom's parents greeted the newlyweds with bread and kvass, while salt appeared in the ritual much later. The presence of kvass at that time among the Slavs indicated prosperity in the household, the strength, and stability of the way of life, and treating with this drink was associated with a wish for fertility.

Kvas: A Traditional Russian Beverage

For the bride with relatives and songs, a bathhouse was prepared, not forgetting about the "kvas spirit": the drink was splashed onto the hot stones, and the leftovers were finished. It was believed that the only way to extinguish a fire caused by lightning strike was to pour kvas (or milk) onto it, and to stop the flame, it was necessary to throw a hoop, which was used for making kvas in a wooden barrel.

The democratic drink was highly esteemed by Russian tsars. Peter the Great loved to have a sip of kvas with horseradish in the morning - the invigorating drink was prepared according to the reformer's own recipe. It is known that "kvas in a silver shining bowl" was served to Alexei Mikhailovich at a festive wedding feast.

Grigory Potemkin was another adherent of traditional Russian cuisine. Kvas soups invariably accompanied the illustrious prince on military campaigns and distant travels, and "for the sake of pleasant fermentation," he personally added a raisin to the drink a day before it was ready.

Anna Ioannovna also did not refuse to drink kvas. The Empress and her guests were served the drink by Prince Mikhail Golitsyn, who was demoted to the court "fools" for apostasy.

It was believed that kvas increases efficiency, relieves fatigue, and restores strength. In Russia, it was drunk at any time of the year and by both old and young, regardless of social class, and the recipe for kvas was known in every household. Peasants often took kvas with them to work in the fields instead of milk or sour milk.

In folk medicine, kvas was consumed for fever, dropsy, and other illnesses. It was even prescribed to patients in hospitals. Kvas was a mandatory dietary product for recovering patients. Indeed, kvas is very beneficial if it is natural and prepared according to traditional recipes.

The strength of the kvas that our ancestors made was not so harmless: the alcohol content could reach 15%. Those who excessively indulged in tasting the foamy drink were called "kvas drinkers." The verb "to kvas" successfully survived to this day, while its semantics has not changed at all.

It was thanks to the action of kvas that Suvorov's soldiers quickly regained their strength during the crossing of the Alps. Suvorov also adored this drink. He said, "Kvas and pickled cabbage are good for the Russian." Kvas was essential in the troops not only because of its nutritional value: it was believed that its refreshing effect benefitted health.

The most famous cold soup - okroshka - was first "created" by burlaks on the Volga. The thing is, for lunch they were given dried fish and kvas, and to make the fish softer, they started soaking it in the bread drink. Later, for greater satiety, they began adding vegetables from the gardens. Today, fish okroshka is not as popular as meat okroshka, but aromatic kvas remains an integral component.

In the 1930s, on the streets of Moscow, one could see carts-wagons, and next to them - grim traders in not very fresh aprons. A glass of "Bavarian kvas" at that time cost 20 kopecks (for comparison: a student scholarship averaged 130 rubles). A little later, so-called "yellow barrels" appeared, which in official documents were called "food thermally insulated tank trucks" or ACPTE.

Kvas was sold in barrels. The most impatient could quench their thirst right on the spot by buying a small or large mug of kvas.

Interestingly, the design of reusable glass mugs into which kvas was poured was done by the author of the legendary "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman" Vera Mukhina.

Despite the fact that today the market offers a huge amount of kvas, many still prefer "barrel kvas" or a drink prepared according to a homemade recipe.

The traditional Russian beverage earned recognition not only in its homeland. In 1975, at an International competition held in Yugoslavia, the excellent taste qualities of "Moscow Kvas" were appreciated by both the jury members and the numerous guests of the event. As a result, the "robust" and "tickle" Russian drink scored 18 points, while "Coca-Cola," which, by the way, appeared in Russia only in 1988, could not even earn 10 points.