It's summertime and that, to me, means it's time for a cooling, refreshing beverage. To many Russians, that beverage is kvas.

The first time I ever set foot in Russia, back when it was still the Soviet Union, it was summer. I can remember seeing these funny little tank trucks marked with the letters KBAC (the Russian spelling of kvas) parked near street corners and parks in Moscow and St. Petersburg. People would go up to them and, with their own glass or a communal cup, get some sort of murky-looking liquid. Being ever the intrepid sort, I stood in line and paid a few kopeks for a sip.

It was awful.

Kvas is a poor man's buzz. It is a fermented beverage made from bread, and the bread of choice in Slavic countries is rye. Sometimes there are other things thrown in, like honey or dried berries, but pretty much it's just bread that has been left to hang out in water for a while. In the end, you toss the bread, and drink the liquid left behind. My favorite Russian cookbook, Anya von Bremzen's "Please To The Table", does not (wisely, in my opinion) have a recipe for kvas, but you can find one here or here. I particular like the note in the latter that instructs you on what to do when the mixture begins to "foam violently."

But these are modern times, and Russians no longer have to brew their kvas at home, or buy it from a tank cart--though you will still likely see them if your adoption journey takes you to Russia this summer. Russians companies now bottle the stuff, and even Coca-Cola has gotten into the business. You can probably find one of the Russian brands of bottled kvas at a Russian grocery store near you. (If you are in or near Pittsburgh, its East End Brewing Co. has begun making kvas too.)

Are you a kvas connoisseur? If so, I hope you'll let me know what I am missing.

Image Credit: Daniel Brennwald