Diet is the foundation of human survival, but also a culture. Eating habits reflect the cultural traditions of the nation and are the concentrated embodiment of the national psychology, which depends on the history of a nation, the living environment and the nation's sense of likes and dislikes.
In contemporary Russia, like many countries in the world, Pepsi and Coca-Cola have become more common and fashionable new beverages. However, just as Chinese promote tea, Germans love beer, Americans like Coca-Cola, The French can't do without cider and lemonade, and Italians prefer orange juice, the russians' favorite and indispensable daily drink in life is "Kvass", known as the "Russian drink". In the past, Russians could not do without "kvass" every day, drinking them at work, after work, before and after meals. In the 1975 international competition in Yugoslavia, the "Kvass" from Moscow scored 18 points, while the famous Coca-Cola scored 9.8 points, which proved that the "Kvass" really had great charm.
The word "kvas" belongs to the original Russian word, "k" means acid, "watt" means boiled, "si" means mixture, is one of the non-alcoholic beverages. The drink is described in the Russian Encyclopedia of Dietary Dictionary as follows: KVAS is second only to sour cabbage in Russia and is the only way for the Russian people to avoid scurvy when they cannot eat green vegetables in the long winter. Not only that, but during the annual fasting period of up to forty days, its rich nutrient content can preserve the physical strength of the monks and enable them to spend this period safely.
Kvas is more than 1,000 years old and has gone through ups and downs like many traditional Russian things, but to this day, people's enthusiasm for it has not changed. In the hot summer, the sales of "KBAC" (the Russian abbreviation of KVAS) are extremely hot, and the shelves of supermarkets that are more than one person high are filled with "KVAS" produced by different manufacturers. Almost everyone who passes by the shelves throws a few bottles of "kvass" into the shopping cart, and many people buy them in full boxes. In addition to the "Kvass" that can be bought in bottles, they can also be sold in bulk. Since the summer of 2005, retail outlets have appeared on the roadsides of russian cities. The body is painted in a uniform yellow color, and the retail car with the word "KBAC" printed on it and the beautiful saleswoman with an apron around the waist always attract the attention of passers-by. The bulk "kvass" are packed in a sealed tin drum, and as long as you twist the switch on the barrel, the iced "kvass" will flow out like beer. Spend 6 rubles (about 2 yuan) to buy a cup. A few mouthfuls of "Kvas" went down, and the heat suddenly disappeared.
"Kvass" is made from pure natural grain raw materials and served with fruit. Wild berries. Honey is made by adding the roots and flavoring spices of various herbs. "Kvass" is a very unique drink, its taste is sweet and sour, emitting the taste of freshly baked rye bread, very thirst-quenching, can make people energetic, improve work efficiency, restore physical strength. In addition, KVAS is the main ingredient for the production of a unique Russian dish, cold soup (cold soup made with kvass drinks, vegetables, diced meat or fish). There is a proverb about the value of "Kvas": "As long as there is bread and Kvas, we have everything". Medical researchers are trying to figure out why "KVAS" is good for health. Some people think that herbs work, some people think that the yeast put in the bread works, and some people think that the additives work. The debate has not stopped because "kvass" contains yeast, carbohydrates, proteins, organic acids, and various vitamins. Enzymes, minerals and other ingredients.
The great Russian poet Pushkin, speaking of Larin's family in his famous work Yevgeni Onegin, said: "For them, Kvass is like air — as indispensable." However, in the history of KVAS's existence, it has also experienced ups and downs. In the process of uniting into a unified nation, "Kvas" revived the weak warriors and revived the needy people. As a result, the good reputation of "Kvass" has been passed down from generation to generation. After vodka entered Russia, "Kvas" was brutally challenged, and the warriors abandoned the traditional drink "Kvas" to pursue the excitement of wine feverishly, and "Kvas" struggled to survive and develop under this impact. In the early years after the establishment of Soviet power, in the 1930s and several post-war famines, the fatal shortage of food made the brewing of "Kvas" extremely difficult. In a state of extreme shortage of "KVAS", the "KVAS" special supply of the canteen of the state organ and the canteen of the leader has become a symbol of power. In the 1950s and 1960s, "kvass", which were native to the countryside, were introduced to the cities, and mass production in factories replaced the handmade production of each family in the countryside. The fermented rural "kvass" with their own distinctive flavors are gone, and the uniform flavors of "kvass" blended and blended with various raw materials fill the streets and alleys. With the opening of the Soviet Union and the subsequent disintegration, "Kvass" was denounced as "earthy" and "uneconcionable", and the traditions and cultures marked by "Kvass" were drowned out in the vast ranks of German beer, British cigarettes, Italian leather jackets, American chocolates and Japanese cars.
However, "Kvas" and the culture of its many elements and colors cannot disappear either. In the countryside, peasant women, no matter how the times change and how the regime changes, they still brew their own "kvass", and still regard "kvass" and vodka as indispensable things in their lives. In recent years, with the launch of the movement to promote national culture, many traditional cultures in Russia have received increasing attention from all walks of life, so "Kvas" has reappeared on the streets of Russia and become a beautiful landscape.
The ancestors of the Russians, the East Slavs, perfected the production process of "Kvas" long before the establishment of the Kievan Rus' state. Many different methods of making "Kvas" are recorded in preserved ancient Russian culinary books, and in rural Russia, every household brews "Kvass", and each hostess has a set of stunts for brewing "Kvass" herself. In fact, from the day "Kvass" appeared, this drink embodied a simple belief of Russians: to cherish the fruits of their labor, to cherish a way of life that makes life easier and sweeter through their own efforts. In terms of culture, "Kvas" as a concept that indicates the satisfaction of Russians with real life and the pursuit of the future.