History of kvass

Kvass is one of the best beverages. According to its taste and nutritional qualities, it has no equal. Invented more than a thousand years ago, kvass enjoys well-deserved popularity even now.
In Kievan Rus, the first written mention of kvass dates back to 989, when Prince Vladimir of Kiev turned his subjects into Christianity. On this occasion it was written in the annals - "Give people food, honey and kvass."
The first kvass was made from various types of cereals: rye, barley, oats, millet. There was about thousand of recipes at that time! Ancient kvass is with mint and raisins, Russian kvass is on rye and crushed barley malt, northern kvass is from rye flour of coarse grind, flour from Icelandic moss and blackcurrant leaves, white kvass, red, succulent, strong, okroshka kvass, ginger, arrowwood, raspberry, from strawberries, cherries, pears. There was different kvass, depending on the terrain, climate, time of year, prosperity in the family and the tastes of the hosts.
By the way, at the end of the XIX century it was kvass from boiled pears that was leading among soft drinks. The traditional recipe for cooking kvass is laborious enough: to soak and germinate the grain, to steam, to grind, to prepare the wort. It took more than two months to wait for results, but it was worth it!