Value-Added Specialty Product from Russia: Kvass

Course: Oenology and Food Culture

MBA Food&Wine

University of Bologna, Alma Graduate School

Irina Rodionova

Value-added specialty product from Russia: Kvass

About the product

Kvass (from Old East Slavic meaning "yeast" or "leaven") is a fermented beverage made of black or regular rye bread, usually dried, baked into croutons, or fried, with the addition of sugar or fruit (e.g. apples or raisins), and with a yeast culture and kvass fermentation starter (called "zakvaska").The color of the bread used contributes to the color of the resulting drink. It's brown and bubbly, with a beer-like taste. But it is classified as a non-alcoholic drink by Russian standards, as the alcohol content from fermentation is typically less than 1.2%, normally (0.05% - 1.0%). Sometimes kvass is flavored with fruits or herbs such as strawberries or mint, but these types are less popular in Russia. It is also used for cooking a popular Russian cold summertime soup called Okroshka.

Kvass in traditional form is an extremely healthy beverage. It is rich in B vitamins, thought to relieve intestinal problems and hangovers. But more importantly, kvass is fermented, which means it contains beneficial bacteria, or probiotics, that are regarded as a digestive aid, and that may destroy disease-causing microbes in your intestine. Probiotics in fermented foods such as kvass have been the topic of much research (and have spurred a host of new food products like Dannon's Activia). Already, its been found that probiotics may:

◦ Enhance immune system

◦ Prevent infections after surgery

◦ Treat acute and chronic diarrhea

◦ Relieve inflammatory bowel disease

◦ Treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

◦ Protect against cancer development and progression

Aside from the health benefits, kvass is very popular for the taste. It's tangy and not too sweet, and it's said to be among the best things on earth to quench your thirst.

History

Kvass has been a common drink in Russia and Eastern Europe since ancient times, comparable with other ancient fermented grain beverages including beer brewed from barley by the ancient Egyptians, the pombe or millet beer of Africa, the so-called rice wines of Asia, the chicha made with corn or cassava by the natives of America.

Kvass was first mentioned in Old Rus Chronicles in the year 989. In Russia, under Peter the Great, it was the most common non-alcoholic drink in every class of society. William Tooke, describing Russian drinking habits in 1799, stated that. Russian soldiers even used to drink a ladle full of kvass before going out onto the streets of Moscow during a cholera epidemic, according to Sally Fallon of the Weston A. Price Foundation. And because kvass has properties that protect against infectious disease, there was no need to worry about sharing glasses.

Later, in the 19th century, it was reported to be consumed in excess by peasants, low-class citizens, and monks; in fact, it is sometimes said that it was usual for them to drink more kvass than water. It has been both a commercial product and homemade.

There are numerous cultural references to kvass in Russian literature. It was mentioned by world-known Russian classics of 19th century such as Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Goncharov in their novels.

Production process

Kvass is made by the natural fermentation of bread, such as wheat, rye, or barley, and sometimes flavored using fruit, berries, raisins, or birch sap collected in the early spring. Modern homemade kvass most often uses black or regular rye bread, usually dried, baked into croutons, or fried, with the addition of sugar or fruit (e.g. apples or raisins), and with a yeast culture and kvass fermentation starter called zakvaska.

Homemade kvass being fermented in a jar

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Commercial kvass, especially less expensive varieties, is occasionally made like many other soft drinks, using sugar, carbonated water, malt extract, and flavorings. That are similar to kvass products, gas sweet water, but the quality is far from genuine traditional Russian kvass. Better brands, often made by beer rather than soft drink manufacturers, usually use a variation of the traditional process to brew their products. Kvass is commonly served unfiltered, with the yeast still in it, which adds to its unique flavor as well as its high vitamin B content.

Commercial kvass brewing

Geography and statistics

Kvas is used to be consumed widely in most Slavic countries, even today almost in any city during the summer months you will see people lining up to get a cool glass of this tangy beverage from a street vendor (see pictures below). Kvass is popular in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and other Eastern and Central European countries as well as in former Soviet states, such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, where one can see many kvass vendors in the streets. Kvass is also popular in Harbin and Xinjiang, areas within China that are influenced by Russian culture.

Today it forms the basis of a multimillion-dollar industry. Kvass was once sold during the summer only, but is now produced, packaged, and sold year-round, with lower sales volumes though.

A kvass street vendor (nowadays)

A kvass street vendor (USSR)

Kvass was one of the main drinks in Soviet Union time and still was very popular in 90's. Although the introduction of western soft drinks such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi had negatively impacted the commercial sale of kvass in Russia, it has been more recently marketed as a patriotic alternative to cola, sparking a "kvass revival". Moscow-based Business Analytica reported in 2008 that bottled kvass sales had tripled since 2005 and estimated that per-capita consumption of kvass in Russia would reach three liters in 2008. Between 2005 and 2007, Cola's share of the Moscow soft drink market fell from 37% to 32%. Meanwhile, kvass's share more