Kvass perfectly quenches thirst in the summer heat, invigorates and improves digestion. What else is kvass useful, what harm can it do?
Kvass is not a new drink, it is more than a thousand years old. And during this time, scientists have studied the properties of bread kvass up and down. There are recipes not only for bread kvass – it is insisted on oatmeal, beets, lemons, berries, fruits, on currant leaves, ginger root, mountain ash – you can’t count everything!
In addition to the already mentioned properties of kvass, this drink helps to digest fatty and protein foods and balances water-salt levels in the body. Due to the vitamin composition and acids released during fermentation, kvass has a beneficial effect on the acidity of the stomach and helps with gastritis, restores the intestinal flora.
Some sources mention that kvass has a positive effect on male potency. And although there is no modern confirmation of this fact, kvass refreshes and invigorates, as well as restores physical strength – probably, this is the reason for the miraculous properties of kvass.
In ancient times, kvass with honey and raisins was considered a drink that only rich people could afford, while the poor drank beetroot or bread. They drank kvass all year round, changing the ingredients depending on the availability of products. During the fast, he was especially appreciated, because due to limited nutrition, the body weakened, and kvass was one of the ways to maintain energy.
Today, hardly anyone drinks kvass in the off-season, in our country it is considered a summer drink. Low-calorie, it is used for cooking dishes such as okroshka. Due to its high calcium content, it is beneficial for teeth, hair and nails. Due to the presence of yeast in kvass, it is important to drink it during a rash, inflammation, respiratory diseases, vascular atherosclerosis.
Kvass is also used externally as a means to strengthen hair and seal its structure.
Who shouldn’t drink kvass
- Due to the content of lactic and other acids in kvass, it cannot be used for hyperacid gastritis and ulcers – it causes heartburn and exacerbation of the symptoms of the disease.
- In case of oncological diseases, problems with the gall or liver, the presence of sand and stones, urolithiasis, kvass should also be either excluded altogether, or used with care. Kvass causes intestinal fermentation, therefore, it can cause discomfort if it malfunctions, colitis and enteritis.
- Kvass is contraindicated in case of allergy to yeast, cereals, celiac disease. Despite the fact that there is not much alcohol in kvass, if you are allergic to alcohol, you also do not need to drink it, just like driving.
- Pregnant women and children under 5 years old should also not introduce kvass into the diet.
- Industrial kvass, in addition to additional carbon dioxide, contains more alcohol, as well as chemical enhancers of taste and color, so it is better to give preference to a homemade drink.
How to make homemade kvass
Take 8 liters of water, 60 grams of fresh yeast, a glass of sugar, 700 grams of Borodino bread, raisins.
Cut the bread into slices, dry in the oven until black. Boil water, turn off and pour sugar into it, then bread, cool. Scoop up warm water and dilute the yeast in it, add to the saucepan and stir. Cover the container with gauze and let the kvass ferment for a day and a half. Strain the finished kvass, sweeten to taste, pour into jars, add raisins, cover the jars with saucers and put in a cold place for a day. Strain the kvass again from the sediment, put it in the refrigerator and enjoy as needed.