Imagine a country where coca cola is unknown. Not easy to do. Now imagine a place where no-one drinks kvas. A good few of my Russian friends were equally baffled by this concept – “No kvas? What DO you drink then?” – was heard more than once.

What is kvas?

Kvas is a fizzy, very slightly alcoholic drink, traditionally made from fermented rye bread. The vast majority of kvas drunk is commercially produced, often by breweries as an off-shoot of the beer-making process. It is on the shelves of every grocery store in Russia, where it often shares shelf / fridge space with its more chemical American rivals. It is brown, fizzy, but not as sweet as cola, and with a much maltier taste.

However, it pays to remember that there’s kvas, and then there’s kvas. My first taste was from a bottle in a kiosk outside a station of the Moscow metro. First impression? A sickly-sweet yeasty brown fizz. Subsequent experiments led me to the better brands, but the best option doesn’t come in a bottle. If you really want good kvas, you need to wait until the summer months. Now local breweries send out the real thing, live, in large metal tanks, to be dispensed into plastic cups, or whatever receptacle you have brought yourself. This stuff is truly refreshing, really natural and possibly even good for you!

Can I get kvas outside Russia?

You certainly can, but will need to look for it in the right places. As well as dedicated Russian stores, many places in the UK now have shops which cater to the Polish community, and you can find kvas here. In the US, with its long tradition of Russian immigration, kvas is also reasonably easy to come by.

The alternative is to try making it yourself! The staple ingredient is rye bread; however raisins also feature, along with yeast and sweeteners such as honey. Anyone with a bent for home-brewing will enjoy this. Elena Molokhovets gives several variations in her classic 19th century book “A Gift to Young Housewives”. For the slightly lazier, tubs of kvas “starter” are available, although thriftier country Russians still start the thing off from their own left-over bread.

Not just a drink.

Various different varieties of kvas form the base of many Russian soups, and using it will give your Russian home cooking a depth and authenticity which there really is no substitute for. See below for links to making and using kvas.

Priyatnogo Appetita!