What Do You Know, a Post About Salo!

Monday was a monumental day for me here in Ukraine; culturally and culinarily speaking, that is! Despite having eaten it many times this was the first time I bought the national food, salo (сало). For those of you lucky enough to be in the know, сало is pig fat. Yes indeed, a nice (maybe not so healthy) slice of fatback with or without the skin. Of course this sounds terribly disgusting to most non-Slavs but it is the national dish for a reason. It was initially the food of the peasants as it was easy to cure and store for long periods of time.  In times of trouble, and there have been many over here, the people could always survive off of сало. And what made it so great (other than coming from the pig) was that it could be spiced with paprika, garlic, or salt to give it an extra flavor. People could also cook with it, add it to sausages, or make it into a spread to put on bread. There was also firm belief that сало would improve your skin, help ward off heart attacks (!), and dispense of a nasty tooth ache. Over time сало moved beyond the peasant lands to becoming a popular food with the general population. Nowadays the best way to buy сало is to go to the main meat market and choose from a dazzling array of choices. You are encouraged to pierce the сало with a small pointed utensil that is available for use by all. If it is too firm do not buy it, I am told. Once you get your prize how it is up to you how to eat it. For me the best way is to cut a piece, put it on bread and chow down. But don't forget to wash it down with a nice frosty glass of kvass (квас)!

More about Salo - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salo_(food)

Salo...as a delicacy? - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/06/salo-ukraine-national-obsession

 Сало with a touch of Meat

Washed Down with Квас 

Квас is Клас! (Kvass is Great!)

This is a post I have been waiting some time to write; summer in fact. The reason I didn't write this post mid-winter is because the квас (kvass) tractors only begin arriving in late May. But what is квас and why am I so excited by its arrival? Excellent question! If you were hot and thirsty and the perfect summer drink rolled up on the corner complete with кваснік (kvass seller) you would truly understand. So, квас is best described as the Russian/Ukrainian answer to Western soft drinks. While Europe and America was busy gulping down carbonated sugared beverages with unknown ingredients, Slavs were likewise drinking this tasty fermentered drink that is a cousin (possibly distant) to beer. While it is not officially alcoholic, the fermentation does give it an alcohol content of around 1.2%. But it is the 'what' that is fermented that gives квас its unique taste: bread. Yup, квас is a fairly straightforward process of fermenting black or rye bread in a jar or vat over a number of days; give or take the addition of fruit, raisins, or berries. It may look gross! It may sound gross! But it is far from. Though it may have a short shelf life it has something that gives it a refreshing kick when the summer weather is at its most extreme. And Ukrainians, Russians, and Eastern Europeans seem to love it. In fact, after Western cola drinks dominated the markets in the 1990s, квас has made a huge comeback in this part of the world. The Baltic States can't get enough of it as квас has continued to ear away at the cola market in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. In Ukraine many people claim not to like it but the carts seem to do swift business. Perhaps it's a bit of nostalgia from the old days. And in the end it is cheaper than soda. I pay five hryvnyas for a cup (twenty cents) and fifteen hryvnyas for one and a half liters (sixty cents). How can you beat that?

So next time you are in this part of the world (you should come) you need to try квас. In the meantime check out the links to recipes and the history of this great beverage. And if you still think it's gross, check out those Pepsi ingredients some time! Cheers!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvass

http://natashaskitchen.com/2012/02/19/angelinas-easy-bread-kvas-recipe/

Here Comes the Квас Truck! 

Bottled and Ready to Drink

Frosty Mug of Kvassy Goodness