Burakovyi Kvas (Fermented Beet Juice)
Submitted by blacgurl
Traditional Ukrainian fermented beet juice made with just beets, salt, water, and a slice of sourdough bread. Tangy, earthy, and ruby-red after one to two weeks of natural fermentation.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
15 minREADY
2Burakovyi kvas is one of the oldest Slavic fermented drinks, and it couldn’t be simpler.
Quartered beets sit in salted boiled water with a slice of sourdough bread that kicks off a slow, natural fermentation over one to two weeks.
The result is a deep ruby liquid with a pleasantly sour, earthy tang. Use it as a base for borscht, sip it chilled as a probiotic tonic, or splash it into grain bowls for a bright, acidic punch.
Four ingredients. No fancy equipment. Just patience and a cool corner of your kitchen.
Kitchen Tips
- Avoid fermenting in hot, humid weather. The beets will decompose instead of souring properly.
- Skim off any mold that forms on top. This is normal and won’t ruin the batch as long as you stay on top of it.
- Taste after one week. You want a mild sourness, not a harsh or brackish flavor.
- Store the finished kvas in clean jars in the fridge, where it keeps for several weeks.
Ingredients
Directions
Scrub beets, pare and cut into quarters. Place in a clean jar or crock and sprinkle with the salt.
Boil the water and pour into the jar. Cook, add the bread to aid in the fermentation, cover with the cheesecloth and tie with the string.
Set in a cool place to ferment for about 1 week. (Do not do this in hot humid weather; it will decompose, not sour.) Remove any mold as it appears.
Flavor develops in 1 to 2 weeks. Remove the bread, mold, and cheesecloth.
Taste. It should be sourish but mild, not brackish.
Pour into clean dry jars and cover, keeping it refrigerate until ready to use.
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