Kvass (Russian and Ukrainian: квас, Lithuanian: gira, Estonian: kali) ("leaven") is a fermented mildly alcoholic beverage popular in Russia, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries.

Kvass has been a common drink in Russia since ancient times. It has been both a commercial product and homemade. It is consumed widely in Ukraine, and in almost every city there are kvass vendors on the street.

It is made by the natural fermentation of bread made from wheat, rye, or barley, and sometimes flavoured with fruit, berries, raisins or birch sap, collected in the early spring. For modern homemade kvass, most often black or rye bread is used, usually dried or fried beforehand, with the addition of sugar or fruit (e.g. apples), and with yeast added for fermentation.

In strength kvass can be almost non-alcoholic and at its strongest is only around 2.2%. It is often flavoured with fruits or herbs such as strawberries or mint.

Russians also use kvass for cooking special summer cold soup - "okroshka".

In urban Russia, Kombucha (a beverage that became popular in Russia since the start of 20th century) is sometimes referred to as "tea kvass" or (incorrectly) simply as "kvass", although these two drinks are different.

See also

• Kombucha

External links

• Michael Jackson: Porter and kvass in St. Petersburg
• Sally Fallon: Kvass and Kombucha: Gifts From Russia

Fermented beverages | Russian cuisine | Russian loanwords | Estonian cuisine

Kvas | Kwaß | 크바스 | Kvass | Gira | クワス | Kwas chlebowy | Квас | Kvass | Квас | Kvass