Beet Kvass: Origins and Variations Recipes


beet kvass
A brief history of Kvass, Russia’s ‘bread in a bottle’
Kira Lisitskaya (Photo: Legion Media; Sputnik)

Beet Kvass is attributed to being Russian although the earliest recordings can be traced as far back as Ancient Greece and Egypt.(1) Ultimately today, recipes come from many parts of the globe and in many variations exist.

Beet Kvass went in and out of popularity in Russia. At one point it was a noble drink. Over time peasants were saved from starvation drinking it. It was called ‘bread in a bottle’ due to its highly nutritional value. But then it sank to being considered vulgar for poor folks.(2) Today it is experiencing an upswing as its health benefits are revealed again. Clearly beet kvass origins and recipes are not limited to a narrow story.
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Barrel with kvass
Harrison Foreman / russiainphoto.ru
Varieties of Kvass With its popularity due to health benefits, many recipes developed. But first I would like to present the simplest recipes to the most complicated.

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Beet Kvass photo by Bobbi Lin
Red Beet Kvass The simplest recipe requires just filtered water, beets, and sea salt.
Taking the kvass one step further it can list filtered water, chopped red beets, whey to quicken fermentation, sea salt, or sugar, or even honey. Recipes are in the Source & Resource section at the end of this post.(3)(4)(5)

Golden Beet Kvass Although I have not yet made golden beet kvass, it looks fascinating and delicious. One particular recipe includes crusts of rye bread to add to the richness in fermentation and nutrition.

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Sparkling Golden Beet Kvass Made the Traditional Way
from the CulturedGuru.com

Golden beet kvass involves a more complicated recipe, possibly with more powerful results. I have not made this kvass yet. But I will as soon as I purchase some golden beets and fermented rye bread.

SOURCES & RESOURCES

(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)A brief history of Kvass, Russia’s ‘bread in a bottle’
a.Urban Farmie Beet kvass
b.Nourishing Gourmet Beet Kvass
c.Three Stone Hearth Beet Kvass
d.How to Make Beet Kvass
d.Honey Fermented Sweet Beet Kvass
e.How to make sweet honey and Beet Kvass
f.Golden Beet Kvass
g.Golden Beet & Turmeric Kvass: A Fermented Home Brew Recipe for a Healthy Probiotic Drink

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